dragon lady龍女ドラゴンレディー
by mistressinwaiting
Summary: -With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's parents are revealed to be deadly criminals, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with Naruto's neck? -Based on a whole lot of things-
1. Chapter 1: Who

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be an evil criminal, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

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**Yeah, this is my second fanfiction! And as I said, it's based on a whole lot of things. You'll see themes from _Iron Empress_, _Harry Potter_, _Blood_+, _Godchild_, _PGSM_, _xxxholic_, _Tsubasa Chronicles_—you know, a lot of the manga and dramas that have a whole lot of twists in them—and a whole lot more. There's gonna be romance, tragedy, drama, and so much more. There's going to be a few twists, but it'll be good! And like my first fanfiction "_Passion_," this fanfiction and all of its chapters will be named after songs! Thank you for supporting my fanfiction, and please review!**

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_Dragon Lady is a misogynistic stereotype of East Asian women as mean, deceitful, domineering, or mysterious. The term has been applied to powerful Asian women and to a number of racially Asian film actresses. In Chinese mythology, the dragon is benevolent—a strong, magical creature that is associated with the spring season and the life-sustaining qualities of water. However, Dragon Lady is a term that is also incorporated with the attributes of the dragon from European mythology, in which the dragon is an evil creature, one that guards treasure, spits fire and devours maidens and that eventually must be slain._

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Chapter One

Who…

After the Kage meeting at the summit, the fiend Danzo went missing—almost disappearing from the face of the Earth and from the Kages' reach—and Tsunade woke up from her coma but, since then, there have been more attempts to take the Fifth's life. And the confrontation between Sasuke and Sakura is kept a secret from all of Konoha and the rest of the ninja world to avoid a conflict between the ninja nations, and only Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato, Ino, Sai, and the Fifth herself know about what went on during that conversation.

An ancient, long-forgotten connection between the Haruno and Uchiha clans is revealed, Madara's Moon-Eye plan is put into action, and everything isn't as it seems.

And as the attempts to kill the Fifth Hokage's life increases, her apprentices are also being brought into the ordeal. To protect them, Tsunade has ordered two whole ANBU squads to shield both Shizune and Sakura from any danger. And while also trying to protect Shizune, the quiet and mysterious Kakashi has gotten closer to the medical nin. But tension grows as The Foundation causes havoc in the other ninja nations.

As everything becomes more and more complicated than ever before, trust becomes scarce, and lives will never be the same ever again because, once the red thread of destiny is tangled, it can never be unwoven ever again…

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

It was a quiet night, the most silent night for all of Konoha. For once, everyone slept soundly. For once, everyone didn't worry because the five great ninja nations had formed an alliance so strong that not even the nine tailed-beasts could break it. So, for once, everyone felt a great sensation of well-being once again. For once, no one needed to worry about their life being taken. And for once, no one needed to worry about a conspiracy . . . except for the woman who had lost her uncle during one of the ninja wars.

Shizune knew she was close to finding out the key to Madara's plan, and she was close to discovering the link between Danzo and the Uchiha warlord. Not only that, but she was also close to discovering the double agent within the ranks of the Konoha nin—the double agent who had caused so much trouble, so much friction, within the village that no one could trust anyone. However, not only was Shizune close, she had completely figured out the identity of the ninja traitor—the _kunoichi_ ninja traitor.

Yes, it was a girl. And yes, it was one of Shizune's closest friends. She didn't want to believe it at first but, after going over the facts and evidence for the millionth time, she had enough to convict the kunoichi of treason. And so Shizune, by herself with no one knowing where she was headed to, set out to confront the traitor . . . in the Forest of Death.

"❀❀❀, what is the Akatsuki up to?" Shizune asked the girl. "What is _Uchiha Madara _up to?"

❀❀❀ didn't answer her. "It's _none_ of your concern."

"If you don't tell me, I'll go to Tsunade. She doesn't know yet, and she doesn't have to."

"Are you _threatening_ me, Shizune?"

"You can call it as you see fits, but I'm willing to cut you a break, ❀❀❀. I know it's hard for you right now, learning your dad's identity, but it doesn't have to be this way. You can atone for your mistakes."

❀❀❀ just stared at the ebony-haired woman. "_Mistakes_?" she asked. "Was it a _mistake_ for me to learn that my father is one of the most wanted criminals in the _entire_ ninja world?"

"❀❀❀, I know this is hard for you, but please… You can still right your wrong."

"_My _wrong?" ❀❀❀ asked, stifling a scoff or two. "Weren't the elders _wrong_ when they decided to execute the whole Uchiha clan, using Itachi as the assassin?"

Shizune's eyes widened. "_What_? ❀❀❀, is this something _Madara_ told you?"

"I didn't believe it at first either . . . until I heard the elders talking about it." said the kunoichi traitor. "They should be careful. In this time, you don't know if anyone would be listening."

"❀❀❀, stop this! You're a kunoichi of Konoha! You should be trying to _protect_ the village, not help _destroy_ it!"

"And betray my _father_?"

"He abandoned you! He experimented on you! You can't possibly-"

❀❀❀ shook her head. "He's still my father, Shizune. After all that he's put me through, he's still my father. If you can't understand that then…" ❀❀❀ couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence.

"You'd _kill_ me?"

"If that's what it takes to keep you quiet." ❀❀❀ kept a straight even though her insides were screaming.

"And I told you before. I'll go tell Tsunade of your treason."

"You wouldn't _dare_."

"Watch me."

And the chase began. If ❀❀❀ didn't have the Uchihas on her side, Shizune would've made it out of the forest in no time. However, with the circumstances piled against her, it was almost as if she was running around in a maze of genjutsu.

"SHIZUNE! _SHIZUNE_!" ❀❀❀ called after the medical-nin. From the beginning, ❀❀❀ had no intention of killing the woman. She just wanted to scare her; that was all. But now the problem had grown. Her father would surely tell her to kill the medical-nin.

Shizune, too, had not predicted how big a problem would come out of that one confrontation. She had only wanted to talk to ❀❀❀, to persuade her back onto the village's side. She had no intention on ratting ❀❀❀ out, but now she had no choice. For the good of the village, ❀❀❀ had to be exposed and restrained.

"Shizune!"

The ebony-haired woman kept running because she knew not only her life but the fate of the village depended on it. Seeing no end to the chase, ❀❀❀ threw a kunai which barely missed Shizune's head. The medical nin stopped and turned to face the kunoichi traitor. ❀❀❀ had already come up behind her.

"Step aside," she told ❀❀❀.

"Shizune," ❀❀❀ pleaded, almost out of breath, "Why are you doing this?"

Shizune unsheathed her hidden sword and held it against ❀❀❀'s neck. "I should be asking you that!" she retorted. "I know what you did, ❀❀❀! I know what you're going to do! What _is_ the Moon-Eye plan? What exactly are you planning?"

❀❀❀'s eyes widened. "Shizune… It's not what you think… I-"

"What is Madara planning to do? What is he trying to accomplish? How in the world is Danzo tied in with all of this? What are you trying to do? Do you plan on taking out Konoha?"

"Shizune, please stop." ❀❀❀ pleaded once more. "You've misunderstood my intentions. I'll explain. Please withdraw your sword." ❀❀❀ knew Madara wouldn't let Shizune live now. The girl knew too much, and Madara would want to do away with her.

"If you don't step aside, I'll kill you."

"_Shizune_!"

But the medical-nin didn't listen. She drew her sword and attacked.

"Shizune!" ❀❀❀, too, was forced to take out her hidden weapon. Their swords clashed. Both girls were equal in strength, so there was really no point for the two to fight that battle. However, the two kept on fighting. Their swords kept on clashing, kept on ringing, and again the swords met.

"Please stop, Shizune… Please…" ❀❀❀ pleaded again. The ebony-haired woman just looked into ❀❀❀'s, trying to find a reason to trust the traitor. "I don't want to hurt you, Shizune… Please stop…" The traitor's voice shook.

While holding back tears, Shizune pushed ❀❀❀ back, fighting with all her might.

"PLEASE _STOP_, SHIZUNE!" ❀❀❀ screamed, holding the medical nin off.

But those words landed on deaf ears as Shizune ran towards ❀❀❀. Steal clashed on steel, the sound echoing from the trees surrounding the two. Shizune's eyes, filled with tears, were fixed onto her opponent. Their swords crossed and then twisted together. The medical-nin didn't let a single opportunity slide by—she kept attacking at the merest hint of an opening.

Breathless, the two kunoichi danced around each other, the dust on the ground churning beneath their feet. They were quick and light, their blades flashing up and then downward in a glittering arc. But as their swords clashed once more, ❀❀❀ was able to push the loyal Konoha nin backwards, slamming her into a tree.

"Shizune…" ❀❀❀ walked towards the woman who she still considered as a friend, a misguided one but still a friend.

But Shizune just swung her sword at the traitor, missing each time but succeeding in warding off the kunoichi traitor. Again, their blades sang through the air—upward, sideways, back, down. ❀❀❀ shot her blade at Shizune, trying to defend herself. But the determined medical-nin caught the sword with her hand. The steel cut into Shizune's hand, but she didn't flinch. She just glared at the traitor who stood in front of her. Using her sword, Shizune knocked her opponent's sword out of said opponent's hand and managed to knock ❀❀❀ down, holding her sword up against ❀❀❀'s neck yet again.

"Tell me…" the medical-nin tried to sound as threatening as possible while trying to hold back tears. "What is Uchiha Madara up to?"

❀❀❀ shook her head, her tear-filled eyes watching Shizune carefully and pleadingly.

"I'll kill you." Shizune told her. "Tell me."

❀❀❀ didn't say anything, just stared at her friend. Her eyes told it all: she wasn't going to betray her father let alone rat out his plans.

Seeing this, Shizune pulled back her sword; her eyes wide with disbelief. As she raised her sword, a tear flowed down her face. "❀❀❀!"

The traitor kunoichi closed her eyes waiting for the sword to strike her, but it didn't. ❀❀❀ opened her eyes and saw Shizune just staring; her eyes almost lifeless. The ebony-haired woman dropped her sword and fell to her knees. ❀❀❀'s eyes widened even more. As ❀❀❀ embraced the medical-nin, she saw it then: the arrow that protruded from Shizune's back. Unable to believe her eyes, ❀❀❀ called out to the medical-nin.

"Shizune…" ❀❀❀ spoke as if the ebony-haired woman were still alive. She received no answer. "Shizune?" ❀❀❀ took a closer look at her opponent's face. "Shizune? _Shizune_?"

The medical-nin's head drooped lifelessly on ❀❀❀'s shoulder. "Shi . . . Shi . . . Shizune…" ❀❀❀ clutched onto her friend.

"You have to take care of yourself, ❀❀❀… Don't be fooled . . . and live your life with no regrets… Do it for me, okay?" Shizune's voice sounded so far away.

"Shizune… Shizune…" ❀❀❀ combed away the hair that covered her friend's face. Blood came out of the medical-nin's mouth, almost endlessly. "Shizune, don't go! DON'T GO, SHIZUNE!" She tried to wipe away the blood. "NO! SHIZUNE! DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE! SHIZUNE!" ❀❀❀ cried over her fallen ally's corpse, unable to comprehend the fact that her friend was gone. "SHIZUNE! _SHIZUNE_! DON'T GO! SHIZUNE!"

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**I almost felt like crying at the end of this. If any of you watch _Iron Empress_/_Empress Chun Chu _천추태후 then you should be familiar with the whole entire plot of this chapter. I got the idea off of episode 61 when Hyangbi died.**

**Now place your bets, people! Will Shizune live or die? And who was her opponent? Was it Kurenai? Was it Sakura? Was it Hinata? Or was it a character I just made up? Stay tuned to find out!**


	2. Chapter 2: Irony

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

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**So yeah, I bet you're all still wondering who killed Shizune. Well, I'm not telling you yet. And this chapter is just going to confuse you even more! Please enjoy!**

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Chapter Two

Irony

All was peace and quiet throughout Konoha. For once, its citizens were walking through the streets again without worry. There was _no need_ for worry. The ninja alliance went unopposed by even the most strongest of ninja clans. No one dared dispute the Kages' decision. And so, Tsunade sat back in her chair, finally able to relax after _months_ of endless paperwork and dilemmas.

"_Finally_!" she said, smiling for the first time in weeks. "Everything's working out like it's supposed to! No more tension! No more worry! . . . Well, at least, for a while. Time to sit back and relax."

"Tsunade-shisou, I don't think that's such a wise decision." her pink-haired apprentice said.

The Hokage turned to look at the cherry blossom who dared to break her happy mood. "And pray tell, Sakura: what _would_ you have me do then?"

Sakura smirked, and suddenly there was a _huge_ stack of papers on the Hokage's desk—why, the stack almost reached the ceiling. "Well, _for starters_, you could finish all this paperwork you didn't do for the past few _months_."

"But I was _busy_ making that troublesome peace treaty!"

"Yes, I know, but the other Kages have finished their paperwork. Why can't _you_?"

"Because I _need_ my sake! Shizune!" Tsunade called for her assistance who inexplicably didn't show up at work today. "_Shizune_!"

"Shisou, have you forgotten that Kakashi is still in the hospital?" Sakura asked. "Maybe Shizune's there by his bedside, waiting for him to wake up from his coma."

"Oh, yeah… I forgot about that." The elderly woman sighed. "Shizune has been goofing off more than usual now that she and Kakashi are hooked up. I can't believe she wouldn't come into work, though, and without any notice. It's just not like her."

"I agree…" Sakura said as she helped her mentor straighten out the room. "But they've both been so lonely for such a long time… I'm happy to see them together like this."

"So am I, but today . . . I don't know why but…" Tsunade said as she rubbed her forehead. "Something's _off_." the woman said in a serious tone. "Shizune would usually have been here by now. If not, she would have sent a messenger or _something_. I'm worried, Sakura. Maybe something happened to her."

"Shisou, we both know that Shizune is able to take care of herself." Sakura tried to comfort her mentor, reaching out for the pile of paperwork. "Plus, she wouldn't leave us. Shizune would _never_ do that _especially_ not to you."

Tsunade sighed once more. "Maybe you're right… Maybe I _am_ worrying too much—people get like that, you know, once they reached a certain age—but I agree with you. Shizune isn't a child anymore, and she can take care of herself just fine. But, Sakura, I have to ask…" The Hokage eyed her apprentice suspiciously as the kunoichi handed her the first of the paperwork. "What happened to your arms? Why are they bandaged up?"

Sakura froze and looked down at her arms. "Oh, _this_?" she asked, almost nervously. "I was out in the Forest of Death, collecting herbs . . . when all of the sudden, this huge snake comes out of nowhere and attacks me! Oh Kami-sama, I thought I was going to die, but then I remembered that Orochimaru and Sasuke both specialize in snakes, so . . ."

"You thought you'd fight off the snake while looking for you ex-teammate but got injured in the process." Tsunade sighed for the third time. "_God_! Sakura, you should _know_ not to be so reckless! Why, you could've been-" But she cut off before she finished that sentence.

"_Killed_?" Sakura asked, finishing her mentor's sentence. "Lady Tsunade, I'd never do that to you. And neither would Shizune. We wouldn't leave you by yourself."

Tsunade nodded her head. "I guess you're right about that, too, but . . . I think Shizune is going to leave me for Kakashi. She's been with him more and more over these past few months, and I think she's _forgetting_ about me."

Sakura giggled. "Are you getting _jealous_, Tsunade-shisou?"

The Hokage glared at her apprentice. "Haruno Sakura, don't you have a _training_ session to get to?"

"Oh, right!" Sakura couldn't believe that she forgot. She had promised Naruto that she'd train with him and Sai. For those past few months, she had been so busy with helping the elderly lady that she hadn't had any time for her teammates. As she bolted out of the door, she yelled back to Tsunade, "Don't worry, Shisou! I'm _sure_ Shizune will appear _some_time soon!"

The blonde woman just chuckled as she heard her apprentice's carefree words. _Sakura can be so childish sometimes… She's becoming more and more asinine. I think Naruto's rubbing off on her._ As she reached for her glass of water, she accidentally pushed it off her desk. The cup broke once it hit the ground.

"Oh shit!" As Tsunade bent over to pick up the shattered glass, she realized something and stopped. It was a glass cup Shizune had given her, the first gift she had ever received from the ebony-haired woman. _Something must have happened to her…_

She heard her door creaked open and looked up, hoping to see her assistant but it wasn't.

"Please come with us, Lady Tsunade." Ibiki, the proctor during the first rounds of the Chunin Exams, stood in the doorway with a few other ninja from the Nijū Shōtai [1].

"What is it?"

Ibiki seemed hesitant to say as did the others, but Ino spoke up. "Lady Tsunade, something has . . . _happened_. Shizune-san has…"

Tsunade could barely believe her ears.

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

A bright green light blazed through the training grounds and, as it burst, emerald green leaves swirled, cutting the skin of anything they touched.

"Wow! Sakura-chan, you're really improving!" the hyperactive ninja praised his teammate.

"Thanks . . . Naruto." Sakura coughed a few times and soon ended up on her knees.

"Hey, Ugly, what's wrong?" Sai asked. "Are you sick or something?"

"I _think_ so…"

"What do you mean you _think_ so?" Naruto practically screamed. "You're a medical-nin, for Pete's sakes! How could you _not_ know if you're sick?"

"Well, it's just that . . ." Sakura's face fell at that moment. "Shizune hasn't appeared at all today, and Tsunade and I are . . . well, we're _worried_. Can you blame us? Shizune has _never_ done something like this before. And I checked with the nurses. She isn't with Kakashi. We don't know where she could be. Maybe something happened to her. Naruto, I'm just so worried. If _anything_ were to happen to her, I'd…"

"Daijōbu, Sakura-chan!" Naruto flashed her a smile. "Shizune's strong! She can protect herself. She-"

"I wouldn't be so sure, Dickless." Sai interrupted Naruto's comfort speech. "The Foundation is very quick at getting rid of their enemies, and they're quiet about it too. I wouldn't be surprised if Shizune was found dead in the forest or-"

In a few seconds, Sai ended up with a huge bump on his head. "Don't say that in front of _Sakura_, Sai!" Naruto yelled as he cracked his knuckles. "It's bad enough that Shizune's gone missing but, for you to say that as well, it's a bit too much! Don't you think?"

Sakura smiled a bit. "Hey, it's not such a big deal, Naruto… Sai _does_ have a point. However…"—she turned to glare at the former Foundation agent—"Shizune will _not_ die. Like Naruto said, she's a strong woman. There's no way _in Hell_ she would leave Tsunade and me. She knows the pain Tsunade went through when Nawaki, Tsunade's brother, and Dan, her lover and Shizune's uncle, died. Shizune wouldn't put Tsunade through that again. There's _no way_ she'd do that."

"Alright, whatever you say, _Ugly_." Sai said as he rubbed his bump. "_Whatever_ you say…"

As Naruto helped Sakura up, he offered to treat them to ramen.

"_Really_?" Sakura asked, her tone didn't hide the fact that she was surprised. "Are you sure you can pay for _all_ of it?"

"_Believe it_!" Naruto gave her a thumbs-up. "I worked really hard these past few months, and I earned a lot of money! I'll definitely be able to treat you guys!"

"I don't believe it…" Sai mumbled.

"What was _that_?" Naruto growled but, before he managed to punch Sai in the face and give said ninja a black eye, Sakura wrapped her arms around both of the guys and started pushing them towards the village.

"Come_ on_!" she giggled. "I'm getting hungry! Don't make a lady wait for her lunch!" But as she laughed, she couldn't shake off that horrible feeling of the mystery of Shizune's strange disappearance. Where was the medical-nin anyway?

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

Meanwhile, Tsunade had followed Ibiki and the Nijū Shōtai to the hospital's morgue. As they brought her over to one of the covered stretchers, Tsunade had a gut feeling that she wasn't going to leave that dark place without shedding a tear.

Before two of the ninja uncovered the body, they asked her to "Please identify the deceased." But once they pulled off the cover, Tsunade's eyes immediately widened, and tears formed.

"Shi... Sh-Sh-Sh-Shizune…" she said, her voice was feeble and quiet. "What . . . what are you doing here? What happened to you?" She caressed her assistant's cold cheek, and a tear dropped onto the ebony-haired woman's face. "_Why_ . . ?" she asked. "Why are you so cold?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, Shizune…" she cried. "Open your eyes! It's _me_, Tsunade. I'm right here. I'm right here… _Please_! Open your eyes!" Tsunade pleaded with the dead girl. "Please don't go! Don't leave me behind!" Her tears flowed out of her eyes, almost as if they were rivers. And for once, the strong Hokage seemed helpless.

"How could this have happened? Huh? How could you be _dead_?" she asked of no one. "Wake up! Please! I'll . . . I'll treat you better. Please wake up! Shizune… I'm sorry for making you feel lonely… I'm sorry…" Tsunade fell to her knees as she tried to shake her assistant awake. "Please get up… _Please_! Open your eyes! Shizune! Shizune… Please don't leave without me… Please get up. I said _get up_! Get up! Get up, _get up_, GET UP!" She almost screamed.

All the while, the other ninja looked away, and Ino started to cry too.

"Shizune… I promised your uncle I'd take care of you… I promised him that you wouldn't follow him… Not this early… Please… You can't leave now… You can't… You can't leave… Shizune… You can't leave… You can't… Shizune… Please wake up… Shizune…"

Ino ran over to the Hokage's side and held onto the dead medic's hand, echoing Tsunade's plead. "Please, Shizune! Please wake up! You can't leave us like this! _Don't leave_! What's Tsunade going to do? What's _Sakura_ going to do? You can't leave _now_! You just _can't_! Shizune!"

"Shizune, please! Open your eyes! Open your eyes…" Tsunade's voice trailed off as her cries became loud and uncontainable. "Shizune… Shizune…"

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

The cherry blossom's dropped her cup, and it shattered along with the bowl it dropped into. "_WHAT_?" Sakura shrieked. "Shizune… She's _DEAD_?"

"Hai, Haruno-san." Genma answered her, unable to meet the kunoichi's tear-filled eyes.

Sakura almost fell backwards, almost fainting and falling onto the ground, but Naruto caught her and squeezed her hand. She heaved a few deep breaths and, after a while, she spoke in a weak voice, "_How_ . . ? How could this happen? Wasn't she supposed to-"

"It seems that some of The Foundation members attacked her and hit her with a poisonous arrow." Genma told her.

"_And_?" Sakura swallowed a scream that had made its way into her throat. "Did you capture the ninja who attacked her?"

"We are still chasing after them, but we're close on their trail."

Hearing that new piece of information, Sakura grew angry, and her voice didn't sound as weak as it did before. "Capture them! Capture them _all_! If necessary, take _all_ of Konoha's available ninja!"

Naruto and Sai's eyes widened at the kunoichi as they stared at her. "Sakura-chan…"

"I don't care if it takes _days_ or _weeks_! Capture those who killed Shizune!"

"Hai, Haruno-san." Genma bowed and was about to leave Ichiraku when Sakura stopped him.

"_Wait_!" she said. "How is Lady Tsunade? Did you notify her as well?"

Genma nodded his head hesitantly. "Hai, Ibiki brought her to identify the corpse and is bringing the body to the Hokage's house as we speak."

"Kakashi, then?"

"He's still in a coma."

Sakura nodded her head absentmindedly, closing her eyes. But once Genma was gone, she fell to the floor and began crying. "Shizune… Shizune-chan…"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto was about to comfort her when one of her ANBU guards appeared.

"Step back, Uzumaki-san. I'll take her back to her house." he said in a voice that Naruto recognized but couldn't put his finger on.

"NO!" Naruto snapped at the ANBU, knowing as plain as day that Sakura could be the next target of The Foundation. "How can I trust _you_? How do I know you're not a Foundation agent as well? Huh?"

Sai rolled his eyes. "Dickless Idiot, they wouldn't be walking around here in plain daylight, now would they?"

"What did you call me?" Naruto growled at the anti-social nin, the kyuubi's chakra overflowing from his body. "Why should I trust you two anyway? You used to be a Foundation member, and I don't know this guy's face! He might as well be Shizune's killer!"

"I wouldn't do that so close to Haruno-san if I were you, Uzumaki." the ANBU said as he helped the crying kunoichi up, shielding her from the hyperactive ninja's demonic chakra.

"_What_?" Naruto snarled. "I would _never_ hurt Sakura-chan!"

"Drop it, Naruto." Sakura commanded, her eyes still tear-filled. "No one said you would…" She sighed and then looked at her security guard. "Bring me to the Hokage…" she told him, her eyes pleading.

"But, _Sakura_!" Naruto protested. "You don't know if he's-"

"Thanks for your worry, Naruto…" Sakura tried to smile but couldn't. "But if you're so worried, why don't you come with us?"

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

"_What_? Shizune-san's _dead_?" Hinata almost collapsed. How could the medical-nin be _dead_? Why would she be in the first place?

"Hai, Hyuga-san." Genma said, also unable to meet the Hyuga's eyes. They were the same as Sakura's, wet and sad.

As Hinata turned to glance at her cousin, she tried to hold back tears. "How could this have happened? Why in the world would Shizune leave us like this? Huh?"

Neji took a deep breath and said, "It's not like it was unexpected… It's not so surprising, actually. Shizune _was_ the Hokage's apprentice—now her assistant—and recently there _have_ been many attempts to try and kill Lady Tsunade. How could Shizune _not_ have been a target?"

"But _still_…" Hinata bit her lip. There was nothing she could say. Shizune was _dead_ and probably at the expense of the village's safety.

"Haruno-san and Uzumaki-san are preparing to go to the home of the deceased and are going to comfort the grief-stricken Hokage." Genma said at that moment. "If you wish to accompany them, I'll inform Haruno-san's ANBU sentry."

"We should go, too…" Hinata whispered to her cousin, a tear coming from her eye.

But Neji shook his head. "No, I don't wish to go." he said. "I don't want to be continuously beleaguered by the spirits of the dead. Even now, my mother's spirit is too much for me to handle."

It wasn't like he didn't care about the now-dead medical-nin. But for the past few weeks, his mother's spirit had been haunting him from his dreams. And if that wasn't scary enough, she had kept threatening and harrassing him to help Madara destroy Konoha. For what reason, Neji didn't know. However, he didn't tell anyone but his cousin and Tenten for fear of being labeled insane and traitorous.

Hinata looked down, a bit upset by her cousin's decision, but she understood him. "Then…" she told Genma. "I'll go."

Neji and Genma just stared at the Hyuga heiress, their eyes widened.

"But, Lady Hinata! It's too dangerous for you to be going out by yourself!" her cousin argued.

"But I'm not going to be _alone_, Neji." she told him. "I'll be with Naruto-kun. I should be fairly safe."

Neji calmed down a bit after hearing that but clenched his fists. Would Naruto really be able to keep his cousin safe in this now-so-dangerous world?

* * *

**[1] = a task force created by the Fifth Hokage consisting of twenty four-man teams. Their mission is to scour the Land of Fire in search of members of Akatsuki. The Akatsuki members are to be captured alive, but if that is not possible they are to be eliminated.**

**Oh, if none of you understand why Tsunade knew something had happened to Shizune after she drops the cup, I'll explain. In a few dramas and a few countries, when something someone gives you breaks, it sometimes means that the person who gave you that something had an accident or something terrible happened to them. So that's why Tsunade knows that something happened to Shizune.**

**Oh, and the last chapter was named after Ayumi Hamasaki's _Who_… and this chapter's named after Wonder Girls' _Irony_. Please review and tell me how you like my story so far!**


	3. Chapter 3: don't leave me alone

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

* * *

**You're all still probably wondering who Shizune's killer really is. Well, this chapter should be able to stop your accusations because a huge hint will be given at the end of this chapter! And also, this chapter's named after Ayumi Hamasaki's _(don't) leave me alone_. Please enjoy and review!**

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Chapter Three

(don't) leave me alone

Opening the door into the dark and gloomy room, Sakura stepped into Shizune's bedroom. For the first time, the curtains weren't opened. For the first time, the sun didn't shine into the room. And for the first time, Shizune didn't wake up when she entered.

Swallowing back a cry, Sakura walked into the room, quietly followed by her ANBU guard, Naruto, Sai, and Hinata. Ino was already inside the room, standing beside the now-depressed and grief-striken Hokage.

Seeing her mentor like that almost made Sakura's heart break; she felt as though she couldn't face Tsunade now. After all, she _was_ the one who told the elderly woman that Shizune _wasn't_ dead when, in fact, she _was_.

Sakura placed a hand on the Hokage's back, not wanting to break Tsunade's mourning silence. But the Hokage looked up at her apprentice, her eyes red because she hadn't stopped crying—not once. She stood up and allowed Sakura to sit beside Shizune's body.

For a while, Sakura just stared at the body. For a while, Sakura stayed silent. And for a while, Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. Then, slowly, Sakura reached out to caress her student-mentor's cheek with one of her bandaged hands. But even _with_ the bandages on, Sakura could still feel the chill emitting from Shizune's unmoving body.

"Shizune… Why are you like _this_?" she whispered the question. "Why are you so cold? Why are you so pale, so chalky?"

Hinata could barely contain her cries, and Naruto was about to stop Sakura before she went crazy from just looking at Shizune's corpse, but the ANBU held out his hand to stop the hyperactive ninja.

"No, let her talk." the ANBU said. "It'll help ease her pain."

Naruto didn't nod his head nor did he shake it. He just glared at the ANBU who denied Naruto his rights to comfort his friend. But nevertheless, the jinchuuriki agreed with the ANBU and didn't stop his pink-haired friend who had began to shed tears.

"Following Tsunade-shisou, coming back to Konoha . . . your young appearance then… It's still in my thoughts, my happiest of memories…" Sakura continued, now holding onto Shizune's frozen hand. "I still remember it . . . like it was yesterday. I can _still_ remember . . . you helping me train everyday and talking to me whenever I needed someone… Those memories are still so vivid…" She took a deep breath, trying to hold back the rush of emotions that poured out of her heart.

"How could you leave us so early?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Shizune… You're still so young, still so beautiful… To have to let you go like this, it breaks my heart just seeing you laying here like this…" She rested her head on the blanket that covered Shizune's body, crying into it. "How could you leave me like this? No… How could you leave _Tsunade-shisou_? And Kakashi-sensei, too! Do you not care about us?"

"Why did the gods have to take you so early?" she wept, her voice grew with volume. "Why did they have to be so _cruel_? What is Lady Tsunade supposed to do now, huh? You're leaving us to follow your uncle… How could you be so cruel? Shizune… Don't leave us like this… Please… How could you not leave us with a smile on your face? How could you die trying to defend yourself? Why didn't you bring someone with you? Why did you have to go by yourself? What if you can't find your way to Heaven?"

Ino, too, began to cry. "Shizune-san…" Both she and Hinata couldn't bare to see their friend so helpless.

As Sakura turned away from the body, she let go of the corpse's hand and held onto her mentor's hand. Her sobs quieted for a moment. "Tsunade-shisou," she addressed the Hokage. "You don't have to hold back your tears… Lady Tsunade, you don't have to hold them in…"

Holding onto her apprentice's small hand, Tsunade fell to her knees and laid her head on her late assistant's body. "_Shizune_..! Why did you have to go so soon? Why, why, _why_? Why, Shizune? _Why_? How could you leave me like this? How could you? How could you? How could you? Shizune… Please don't go, Shizune…"

Sakura cried into her mentor's shoulder, unable to hold back her tears, unable to stay strong. "Shizune… Shizune… Don't leave us… Shizune… Please come back…"

Within minutes, the room was filled with sobs from the kunoichi and respectful silence from the male ninja. Shizune was dead and, by now, all of Konoha knew. The only question: who was the killer and was s/he still lurking around Konoha?

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

"Why do we have to go through this much sorrow? Why must we keep losing dear beloved ones?" Sakura asked of no one in particular, her eyes completely blank. She, of course, was thinking back to past years: first, the Third [Hokage]; then, Sasuke; later, Old Lady Chiyo; afterwards, Asuma, and, now, Shizune. Why did they all have to leave?

"Perhaps it's because of my origins…" she said after a long while of silence.

"Sakura-chan…" Ino didn't know how to comfort her friend. After all, her conversation with Sasuke had brought up so many questions, so much tension in Sakura's household that it was almost a known subject to all of Konoha.

"Shizune was like my elder sister… She, Tsunade, and I spent days together . . . training with each other… Even in my darkest hours, she watched over me." A tear managed to sneak out of her eyes, but she wiped it away with a tissue. She took a deep breath and turned back to her mentor. "Tsunade-shisou, I'll take care of the funeral preparations. I promise you, Shizune won't lack _anything_ on her final voyage."

"No, Sakura…" Tsunade finally spoke, her throat sore. "I plan to have Shizune cremated, her ashes scattered over the forest surrounding the village . . . just like her uncle."

"Is that what Shizune-san would have wished for?" the Hyuga heir asked.

"I believe so…" Tsunade sighed. "We had an agreement that, when the time comes for us to go, we would leave everything behind and protect our loved ones with our lives. Just that… That was our promise to each other…"

Sakura nodded her head. "I think that's best, too. Shizune would've liked that…"

"Anoo . . . Tsunade-sama," Sai spoke up. "I wish to apologize for Shizune's death. I didn't know The Foundation would attack her so early. For that, I wish to apologize. If I had been more careful-"

"It's alright, Sai." the elderly woman said. "Besides, it's not _your_ fault that Shizune died. You have already renounced your bonds with Danzo and, as such, you are a loyal ninja to the village of Konoha. I harbor no ill feelings towards you."

Naruto groaned. "Tsunade-sama," he didn't call the Hokage 'Obaachan' because he knew she was so upset and he knew of her pain. "I thought you ordered two whole squads of ANBU to protect both Shizune and Sakura. What happened to Shizune's squad?"

Tsunade looked at Naruto and shook her head. "We found them somewhere near the place where her body was found. Apparently, they were all drugged with a poison that even_ I_ don't know of." She clenched her fists and teeth. "I should have assigned more ANBU to protect her. I should have, and maybe then . . . Shizune wouldn't have…" Her voice trailed as she couldn't bring herself to say the last word.

Sakura squeezed her mentor's hand. "Tsunade-shisou, don't blame yourself for this. None of us saw this coming…"

"But still, Sakura… You and Shizune are my students. I should have protected her much more better." the Hokage's gaze flashed towards the cherry blossom. "I can't afford the same mistake with you, Sakura… You're the only one I have left…"

Sakura nodded her head as she felt her mentor's weak grip on her hand. "Tsunade-shisou…"

"What about Hatake Kakashi?" the ANBU spoke. "He, too, should be informed since he and Shizune were involved with each other."

Tsunade nodded her head. "The cremation will be held after he wakes up from his coma. I will tell him the news myself once I know that he has completely recovered."

"How do you think he'll take it?" Naruto asked. "He _has_ lost a lot of his friends, family, and loved ones. Maybe it's best if he doesn't-"

"The worst thing we could do is keep this from him, Naruto." Sakura interrupted his sentence, knowing fully well what he was going to say. "He should be allowed to see the body _before_ we cremate it."

"I agree with Sakura-san." Hinata whispered. "When my mom died, my father wouldn't let me see her body since it was covered with so much blood. I was so upset but, once I saw her body, some of my sadness left. It'll be the same with Kakashi-san."

Sakura sighed. "I really _hate_ fighting. It causes nothing but sadness and sorrow." Sakura bit her lip, trying her hardest not to cry. "Nothing but _that_…"

"Sakura, you should go home and rest." Tsunade stroked the kunoichi's hand. "I'll assign the rest of Konoha 11 to protect you later today. I _promise,_ you won't end up like Shizune… I'll make sure of it even if it costs me my _life_."

"Tsunade-shisou, don't say that." Sakura murmured. "It hurts me to hear you say that…"

"Alright," Tsunade patted her apprentice's hand one last time and let go of the cherry blossom's hand. "Go home and get some rest. You've had a long day."

Sakura tried to smile and nodded her head. The ANBU opened the door for her. And as she walked out of the room, she took one last loving glance at the people in the room. Then the ANBU closed the door behind her.

Sakura groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. She was sweating a cold sweat and felt dizzy. And within a few more groans, her legs gave way, and the floor swirled up to her face. But before her body made contact with the hard ground, the ANBU caught her just in time.

"_Tired_, aren't you?" he asked her.

Unable to find the strength to speak, Sakura just nodded her head.

"Well, it's not all that surprising." the ANBU chuckled. "Especially after your elaborate act, crying crocodile tears and all… Why, you even had _me_ fooled…"

Sakura groaned again, burying her face in the ANBU's cloak. "Oh, put a sock in it. I didn't see _you_ do anything but speak all formal-like… It was all so _irritating_… That room made me sick."

"Well, it was to be expected, _right_?" the ANBU asked her. "After all, you _witnessed_ Shizune's death, Kuruizaki-hime."

"I told you to _be quiet_." Sakura clutched onto the ANBU's cloak. "You don't know who could be listening. Just take me back home . . . Sasuke-kun…" And feeling safe in the missing nin's arms, the kunoichi fell fast asleep.

* * *

**Anoo = um…**

**Kuruizaki-hime = "Madly Blooming Princess" (I got it off a _Vampire Knight_)**

**Shisou = master (as in teacher) [just for those who don't know what shisou means]**

**Yeah, another chapter done! I'm so happy! But it's the shortest one yet… That's stinks… Oh well… At least, Sasuke made an appearance. Oh, wait... Since he's the ANBU guard then that means he also appeared in chapter two... Hm... That _is_ confusing... Oh, well... Please review and read the next chapter when it comes up! Huge twists are coming up, so don't skip anything or you won't have the slightest clue as to what's happening!**


	4. Chapter 4: Broken Möbius

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

* * *

**Phew, finally this chapter's out! Sorry for the wait, peoples! But I couldn't come up with an idea for this chapter, so I made Team Hebi debut in this one. The chapter's named after the song from _Seramyu_ (the musical version of _Sailor Moon_) of the same title by the outer senshi. Möbius is supposed to be these really confusing (for me) number theories and this formula, so I named this chapter _Broken Möbius _because this chapter reveals a very broken formula with Sakura working with Team Hebi and Sasuke being a little OOC with her.**

**Oh, and just so you all know: Sakura isn't really Shizune's killer. She fought with Shizune shortly before her death, but Sakura isn't the one who shot that arrow. So technically, Sakura's _not_ the murderer.**

**Please enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Chapter Four

Broken Möbius

When Sakura woke up, she found herself in her bed, safely in her room. She blinked a few times just to be sure. As she tried to prop herself up, her arms began to burn, and they gave way just as her legs did. But before she fell back onto her bed or onto the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her; his scent drove her crazy.

"Are you _sure_ you're awake?" His voice was full of worry.

Sakura nodded her head, her eyes still a little droopy. "Yes…"—her eyes flashed towards his face—"How long was I asleep?"

"Just an hour, more or less."

Sakura's gaze turned into a glare. "Can't you give me a more _accurate_ time?"

"An hour and seventeen minutes, thirty-nine seconds."

"Not _that_ accurate," the kunoichi groaned. "You're lucky you're not Naruto. If he did that, I would've punched him in the face by now…"

"And then you'd treat him to ramen _on your dates_ to make up for it."

"Yes, and I'd-wait, _what_?" Sakura looked up at Sasuke's face. She grabbed her pillow and started hitting the missing nin with it. "Get out! Get out, _get out_, GET OUT!"

"What did I say?" the Uchiha asked as he shielded himself from Sakura's pillow-jutsu-attack.

"I've _never_ dated Naruto! Not _once_ in my life!" Sakura yelled as she continued to hit Sasuke with her pillow. "Where in the world did you get that idea from? I-" Sakura's rant stopped as she began to cough. "Gar-Gar-Garbage . . . Can!" she said in between coughs. In a flash, the trash can was in front of her, and she threw up.

"I knew it." Sasuke said, a smirk running through his face. "I knew one day you'd get sick of ramen. It's probably all Naruto's fault, though."

"Do you get _pleasure_ from watching me in _pain_?" Sakura asked once she finished retching up her lunch.

Sasuke pretended to think about it. "As a matter of fact, yes."

Sakura glared at him but, this time, threw her pillow at him, missing him by one stinking centimeter. "It's not the ramen. I threw up my breakfast, too." She reached out for the glass of water on her nightstand. "It's that _operation_ Daddy made me go through, so stop blaming Naruto." she said after taking a sip from her drink and placing the cup back on the nightstand.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and it didn't go unnoticed by Sakura. "What are you..? Oh no. Don't even-" In the next second, Sakura was pinned down on her bed; Sasuke on top of her.

"You know, I'm really annoyed, hearing you keep talking about that _dobe_."

"And you know, jealousy is _really_ unsightly."

"Who said I was _jealous_?"

"Who said you _weren't_?" Sakura countered. "Now let me up. I feel nauseous again."

"Fine," Sasuke held out his hand and helped the kunoichi into a sitting position.

At that moment, three other ANBU came into the room, almost scaring Sakura out of her skin. "_Jeez_! You know there's this new invention. It's called _knocking_."

"Hey, _bitch_, do you know there's these new things called _manners_?" one of the ANBU retorted.

"Drop it, Karin." the one next to said girl spoke. "Older sisters are supposed to set _good_ examples for their younger sisters. You, on the other hand, are setting a really _bad_ example for the little cherry blossom."

"_Hora_! _She's_ the one who _tricked_ me into becoming her sister!"

"And how did _that_ happen again?" Suigetsu asked of no one.

"You were _there_, you idiot!" Karin practically screamed in the ninja's ear.

"Oh man! I think I went deaf." Suigetsu said as he cleaned out his ear with his finger. "Thanks _so much_, Karin."

"Hey! _You_ started this!"

"Oh, how is it _my_ fault?"

"Because you started it, you no-good, son-of-a-bitch, stupid," and the list went on and on.

All the while, Sakura giggled at the display in front of her while Sasuke, with a hand to his forehead, shook his head in disbelief. "Why am I _always_ trapped with an idiot and a girl who has anger management issues?" he mumbled to himself.

Sakura elbowed him in the chest and pouted, crossing her arms. "I did _not_ have an issue. It was only because my subconscious was too overpowering."

"Subconscious my ass," Sasuke murmured as he rubbed his now-bruising chest thanks to Sakura's inhuman strength courtesy of her hard training with Tsunade and her late student-mentor.

"Oh, look! A lover's quarrel!" Suigetsu pointed at the two ex-teammates-now-accomplices.

The two "_lovers_" glared at the swordsman, and Suigetsu hid behind Juugo. "Anoo . . ." Juugo tried to make peace between everyone in the room. "Anyway, how was your day, Kuruizaki-hime?"

Sakura tried her hardest to suppress her urge to roll her eyes. "I've told you, Juugo! Call me _Sakura_! Say it with me: Sa-ku-ra! _Sakura_!"

"Um, right…" Juugo scratched his head. "So how _was_ your day, Lady Sakura?"

Unable to suppress her urge, Sakura rolled her eyes. _Well, at least, he's not calling me Kuruizaki-hime anymore…_ "Troublesome," she answered him. "Tsunade kept asking me where Shizune was, and she grew suspicious when she saw my bandages. And after I left her office, the Nijū Shōtai found Shizune's body at the place where you three dumped it." Sakura sighed. "Tsunade was _so_ upset. I've never seen her like that before. To make matters worse, she kept telling me that I was the only one she had left and that she'd make sure I wouldn't end up like Shizune. Also, you guys better prepare yourself. She's making the rest of Konoha 11 protect me."

"Oh, _really_?" Suigetsu asked. "Damn! Then that means I won't have as much freedom! That totally _sucks_!" The swordsman pouted and crossed his arms.

Sakura shrugged. "Hey, it wasn't _my_ fault. I wasn't the one who killed Shizune."

"Yes, but you _witnessed_ the woman's death." Karin said. "Surely, it was hard for you to keep quiet about it."

Sakura shrugged again. "Hn…" was her answer.

Then Suigetsu walked up to her, a hand on his chin; his face looked as if he were thinking about something. He kept looking at Sakura's face, from different angles, as if he were examining her.

"_What_ are you doing?" Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"I swear, Sasuke _must_ be rubbing off on you. You're starting to act more like him." Suigetsu answered while still examining the kunoichi's face. "Perhaps you should see a therapist before you go all _crazy_ with revenge."

_That_ made Sakura snap. And in a few seconds, Suigetsu was on the ground with a black eye, a few bruises, a huge bump on his head, and a few broken bones while Sasuke was trying to hold back the now-raging pink-haired kunoichi. "Revenge my ass!" she yelled at the now-trembling swordsman.

"Hey, now, I was just _kidding_!" Suigetsu laughed in pain. "What happened to the no-anger-management-issue thing?" In a few more seconds, Suigetsu had a new bump on his head and two broken ribs. "Sasuke, I thought you were holding her back…" he said quietly.

"Hn, I got tired." the Uchiha muttered while Sakura muttered something about not having an anger management issue.

"Tsk, tsk," Juugo clicked his tongue. "You'd think by now you'd have known not to anger Sakura-san."

"Oh, shut up, Juugo." Suigetsu garbled. "Can somebody heal me?"

Karin looked away, but then a ball of teal light shot through the room and hit Suigetsu. Thuja[1] leaves enveloped the swordsman, healing his injuries. "Wow!" he clapped. "Nice jutsu—pretty, too. Create it yourself, _Pinkie_?"

"Yes. In fact, I have a whole arsenal of my Lights of Surprise[2]." Sakura answered. "And that is pretty much the only one that I originally made to help my allies, so consider yourself lucky."

Suigetsu gulped and nodded his head vigorously.

"But why did you choose thuja leaves?" Juugo asked.

"Thuja, in the language of flowers, means '_everlasting friendship_.' And, in Latin, it's called _'arborvitae'_ or rather _'Tree of Life'_." Karin answered for her younger "_sister_."

"Karin actually came up with the idea." Sakura added. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"_Very_," Juugo nodded his head in compliment. "But what are you planning to do now? The Hokage's assistant is dead, and I'm pretty sure Lady Tsunade does _not_ want you out of the ANBU's sight now since the danger has increased. Plus, we don't know how much your former sensei knows. Perhaps Shizune had told him everything before going to meet you last night."

"Hmm… Well, you're right about _that_…" Sakura told Juugo; her face troubled but then, as an idea popped into her mind, she smiled. "But I plan to cause _a little bit_ more chaos before I'm found out, and I know just how to do it."

Team Hebi including Sasuke just stared at the pink-haired kunoichi, confused as to what her plan was, but Sakura . . . yeah, she knew what she was going to do and how well her plan would work—starting with her former now-comatose sensei, Hatake Kakashi.

Oh, yeah, she was going to have _so much_ fun!

* * *

**Hora = hey!**

**[1] = genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae (cypress) family. There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. They are commonly known as arborvitae (from Latin for Tree of Life) or thujas; several species are widely known as cedar but, because they are not true cedars, it has been recommended to call them red-cedars or white-cedars.**

**[2] = jutsu that I came up with for Sakura. There are going to be a whole lot of these Lights of Surprise coming up in later chapters.**

**Yay, I'm finished this chapter. But I got to say, it was shorter than expected. But who cares! I updated it so yay! ****Also, if you're all wondering how Sakura tricked Karin into becoming her sister, please wait. I plan to explain that in a mini-story.**

**Please review and the next chapter should be out shortly! Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5: Cruella De Vil

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

* * *

**Yay! The chapter's done! I know it's still kind of short (why, it's the shortest chapter so far), but I couldn't think of a good way to keep it going, so sorry. The chapter is named after (everyone should know this) the song _Cruella De Vil _from _101 Dalmatians_. This chapter's dedicated to man-chan for being the first reviewer. Thank you for reviewing, man-chan! And everyone else, please review!**

* * *

Chapter Five

Cruella De Vil

The door to Hospital Room 9413[1] opened, and in came the clicking of high-heeled shoes followed by silent footsteps.

"What are we doing _here_, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his ANBU mask on so as to not draw any attention (cuz he was still a rogue ninja and all).

"Just trust me. I have a plan, so just go along with it, okay?" Sakura requested of the Uchiha. Indeed, she did have a plan—an evil plan that was only to be expected since her father was, after all, "_one of the most wanted criminals in the entire ninja world_." And for the occasion (it was her _first_ evil plan), she dressed up in stiletto heels and wore a white cotton dress with black lace and a big bow on her left breast[2]. Oh, and she wore a huge white sunhat and had a vase of flowers for her sensei.

They walked into the room, and Sakura placed the vase on the nightstand next to Kakashi's bed and sat down on the chair beside the bed. She looked at her sensei, just staring at the silver-haired ninja. The jonin looked so peaceful, so untroubled. Sakura smiled at that but then bit her bottom lip.

She held onto her former sensei's hand. "Kakashi-sensei…" she started to say in a saddened voice as if she would burst into tears. "You've been asleep for a really long time. You don't even know what has happened nor are you aware of it…"

The kunoichi just paused for a moment, waiting for some kind of reaction she knew she wouldn't get. "Kakashi-sensei…" she whispered into his ear, almost menacingly. "Shizune-san has passed away…"

And in that moment, Sasuke saw the jonin's hand clench into a fist. Worried for the kunoichi's safety, he automatically stepped forward, but Sakura held out a hand to stop him.

"It's fine…" she told him in a monotonous voice. "It's just a reflex… He's still in a coma."

Sasuke relaxed a bit but continued to keep a close eye on his former sensei. He wouldn't admit it, but he was definitely concerned about Sakura―mostly her sanity. In just the past month, she had found out that she was the daughter of a criminal responsible for the countless of deaths of innocents, and she had just witnessed her student-mentor's death. Sasuke had thought that she would've lost her sanity the moment Shizune had died, but she proved him wrong. However, the condition of her remaining sanity was . . . _uncertain and questionable_.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura spoke to her comatose sensei again. "Shizune's dead, and you didn't protect her…"―again, Kakashi's fist tightened―"Why, if you had been awake and with her, perhaps she wouldn't have died such a _worthless_ and _painful_ death. If you weren't here, perhaps then Shizune's death wouldn't have been in vain, and perhaps you could've caught her killer…"

"Sakura, is it your plan to make Kakashi take the fall for his lover's death?" Sasuke interrupted Sakura's tirade.

Sakura let out a scoff and let go of her former mentor's hand, turning to glare at the Uchiha. "You'll see for yourself just how easy it is to manipulate someone to do what you want."

"Hn." Sasuke just shrugged, staring at the kunoichi with his sharingan.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" the kunoichi smiled at her ex-teammate. "But I guess I _am_ going a bit too far…"―she stood from her seat and dusted off her pretty dress―"Kakashi doesn't deserve to hear what I have to say, so let's just go…"

"I'm not complaining. I was just asking." Sasuke retorted. "You can continue if you want."

"Nah, I'm already done anyway." The kunoichi let out a small giggle as she held onto the missing nin's arm, taking a very quick glance at Kakashi's still-clenched fists. "I've already done enough damage, and Kakashi's going to wake up soon…" She sighed. "Plus . . ."―she snuggled against the Uchiha's chest―"I'm really tired… Take me home please…"

"Hn…" The Uchiha picked her up bridal-styled and jumped out the window, hopping from roof to roof. "You know, you're really spoiled…"

Sakura smiled, about ready to fall asleep. "Last night's operation really tired me out… You can't blame me for that…" And she fell into a sweet slumber, knowing that her plan was already in action.

✿｡.:***the next day***.:｡✿

Kakashi awakened and found himself in the hospital. He wiped away the sweat that had formed on his forehead the other night and sighed. He looked around at his surroundings again and saw the flower vase on the nightstand. "Oro[3]? What's this?" He took the vase and put it on his lap, turning it so that he could see it from all sides. "What beautiful flowers…"

And right between the white rose[4] and red spider lilies[5] was a small envelope. Kakashi took the envelope and opened it, discovering a small card inside. "Oh? It's from Shizune." And so he began to read.

_Kakashi_, it began. _I know this is very short notice since you were in a coma and all. However, I'm sorry to say, but I believe I only have such a short time left. I've discovered the identity of the traitor in our mists, and regrettably I've found out that it's Haruno Sakura… Yes, I know. It's quite a shock, but I've gone over the facts, and I've gone over the evidence for more than a thousand times. It's definitely her… __I hope that you understand, but I plan to confront her about this. She's going through such a hard time, what with finding out who her real father is and everything… She's so misguided, so lost… She needs someone to be there with her, for her, watching over her… Kakashi, if I'm gone, please take care of her for me… You're like a father figure to her and, if anyone has some kind of persuasion over her besides Lady Tsunade, it's you. __Please . . . help her. She needs your guidance, and please don't tell Lady Tsunade… It'll break her heart, and it'll ruin her especially since I'll probably be gone by the time you read this letter. Please know that I love you so much and that you're the only man that I've ever loved. Please… I'm so sorry that I couldn't stay with you, but can you honor my last request? Help Sakura, and do it for me, okay? You're the only one I can trust with this information, and please be careful. I love you… Those months we stayed together were the happiest moments of my life. Please remember that. I love you so much. Sincerely, Shizune._

Kakashi let the letter fall onto his lap as he took in all that information. Shizune had gone to her death, Sakura―his former student, the one that was so _fragile_―had betrayed the village, and Shizune had asked him to _help_ the traitorous kunoichi from falling into the pits of Hell.

"No, this _can't_ be true." He jumped out of bed and out of the hospital, jumping from roof to roof, remembering what his subconscious remembered, unable to believe the reality of things.

"_Kakashi-sensei… You've been asleep for a really long time. You don't even know what has happened nor are you aware of it… Kakashi-sensei… Shizune-san has passed away… Kakashi-sensei… Shizune's dead, and you didn't protect her. Why, if you had been awake and with her, perhaps she wouldn't have died such a worthless and painful death. If you weren't here, perhaps then Shizune death wouldn't have been in vain, and perhaps you would've caught her killer…_"

"No, this can't be. Sakura's not… Shizune can't be…" He kept shaking his head, trying to think back to everything before his coma. Shizune had been so happy; Sakura, too. But then, he remembered Sakura's almost expressionless face―tears going down it―when she found out who her father was. And now that he thought of it, he began to question the kunoichi's potential now that her sanity wasn't there to hold her back anymore.

"Oh Kami… Please no…" He said as he reached Shizune's house. He jumped in through her bedroom window, and the sight that he was met with was _not_ the one he hoped for.

* * *

**Kami = God**

**[1] = the number 9413 sounds like "九死一生" (gau2 sei2 yat1 saang1) in Cantonese Chinese, meaning "nine die to one live," which means 90% chance of being dead and only 10% chance of being alive—or to make it so much simpler, 90% chance of dieing and 10% chance of living.**

**[2] = go to deviantart****.com/art/Dress-from-my-fanfiction-144990201** **to see the dress.**

**[3] = huh (basically); if anyone watches _Rurouni Kenshin_/_Samurai X_ then you should know that "_Oro_" is what Kenshin always says when he's confused or just wants to say "huh." Yeah, I just felt like making Kakashi say it for old time's sake.**

**[4] = in the language of flowers, a white rose means "eternal love."**

**[5] = in Hanakotoba (the _Japanese_ language of flowers), red spider lilies mean "never to meet again."**

**Sorry, for the shortness of the chapter, but I promise the next one will be a bit longer. I'm so busy lately so, yeah, I don't have as much time as I used to. But I will update as soon as possible, so thank you for your patience! Please review and continue to read my fanfiction!**


	6. Chapter 6: Kakashi Got Nerve!

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

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**Yay! This chapter's done, and here comes the big thing that I _really_ wanted to write. Kakashi attacks Sakura! OMG! What is this world coming to? Oh, wait, that's right. The world (in my fanfiction) is going towards anything _I_ write down, so I practically know what's going to happen, but you guys don't, so yay me!**

**Oh, my sister came up with the title so please don't blame me. And everyone knows where she got that idea from: Hannah Montana's _I Got Nerve_. Thank you for those who read my story and thank you for reviewing!**

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Chapter Six

Kakashi got Nerve!

Tsunade stood up from her seat and just stared at the silver-haired jonin. Kakashi, timidly, bowed to the Hokage but, when he saw Shizune's body laying on her bed, he immediately froze.

"Kakashi…" Tsunade's voice, still feeble from all her crying, addressed the jonin. "Sit. There is much to talk about."

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

"She must have been hit while she tried to fend off The Foundation agents who attacked her. Our ninja are still going after the ninja who killed her. They _will_ capture the one who killed Shizune." the tired woman reassured him. "Kakashi, I know it's difficult to cope with this, but we need to prepare for her funeral."

Kakashi stayed silent, unable to believe anything Tsunade had told him. Shizune was _dead_. How could he have let that happen? How could he let the woman he had sworn to protect die in such a horrible way? His heart felt so heavy, heavier than the time he saw his teammate Obito die. He felt like crying, he felt like killing the one who had taken away Shizune's life. And then he remembered again what his subconscious had heard.

_"Kakashi-sensei… You've been asleep for a really long time. You don't even know what has happened nor are you aware of it… Kakashi-sensei… Shizune-san has passed away… Kakashi-sensei… Shizune's dead, and you didn't protect her. Why, if you had been awake and with her, perhaps she wouldn't have died such a worthless and painful death. If you weren't here, perhaps then Shizune's death wouldn't have been in vain, and perhaps you would've caught her killer…"_

Kakashi could remember those words so clearly and the evil in Sakura's voice when she had said them made him suspicious. And just by that, he knew that things weren't as they seemed. "It's not The Foundation!" he exclaimed as he stood from his seat.

"_What_..? What are you talking about, Kakashi?" Tsunade stared at the silver-haired jonin. Everything about Shizune's death pointed to The Foundation—even the weapon used to kill the ebony-haired woman—so what was Kakashi getting at that she didn't know about?

Kakashi didn't answer her. Instead, he grabbed Shizune's sword which was left by her body and left the house. He ignored the people who stopped to talk to him, but they didn't bother to stop the jonin. In his eyes was the intent to kill. Nobody wanted to stand in his way because they knew of his reputation and the misfortunes he had when he's about to kill his enemies[1].

Soon, he arrived at his destination—the Haruno household—with Shizune's sword in hand.

"Hatake Kakashi! What brings you here?" Karin, disguised as an ANBU, had come out to make sure there weren't any enemy ninjas lurking around when she had spotted the jonin.

"Where is Haruno Sakura?" Kakashi asked, almost snarled.

"_Why_?" Karin placed her hands on her hips. "If you have business with her then return in the morning. Lady Tsunade has ordered for us to set a curfew. No visitors allowed."

However, Kakashi wouldn't take no for an answer and grabbed her throat. "Where _is_ Haruno Sakura?" he asked again but, this time, more sinisterly.

"What's . . . the matter . . . with you?" Karin demanded, coughing and choking in between phrases. "Unhand me!"

"TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!"

"Let her go!" an angered but feminine voice yelled out. Kakashi and Karin turned their heads in the direction of the sound and saw the pink-haired ninja come out of her home with the rest of Team Hebi (who were also disguised as ANBU).

"What brings you here at this hour, Kakashi-sensei, and with _that_ attitude?" Sakura smiled, unaware of the potential danger and killing aura coming from her former sensei. "Did being in a coma make you lose a few screws?"

Continuously glaring at his former student, Kakashi didn't speak a word and threw the female Hebi member to the side. Luckily, Suigetsu caught her before she injured another part of her body. With Shizune's sword in his hand—his grip tightening around it—Kakashi charged at the Haruno. But to his dismay, Juugo blocked the attack with one of his stone-hard arms, ending the jonin's attempted homicide.

"What are you doing, Hatake Kakashi?" Sasuke demanded, standing in front of Kakashi's target; his sword out and ready.

And unheard by Kakashi, Sakura whispered into her shield's ear, "Go easy on him. My plan's already in motion, but I still need him _alive_ for it to actually work."

Still not saying a word, Kakashi merged his chakra with Shizune's sword and unleashed his White Light Chakra Sabre[2] on Juugo, easily defeating his obstacle. Standing straight up, Kakashi turned his face to glare at his target once more.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura's voice forged a terrified and saddened tone. "What..? What are you _doing_? Are you out of your mind!"

"Don't talk to me like you don't know what you did, _girl_…" Kakashi growled at the kunoichi. "WHY DID YOU KILL SHIZUNE?" he screamed as he charged at Sakura with his White Light Chakra Sabre ready.

And luckily for our favorite kunoichi, Sasuke blocked the blade with his; the metal ringing on contact.

"What are you talking about, sensei?" Sakura continued her façade as she walked towards the fighting ninja. "Why would I kill my darling student-mentor? Except for a heartache, what could I possibly gain from _that_?"

"To hide your true identity and purpose, _Kuruizaki Karai_[3]!"

Sakura's façade dropped as her eyes widened. "_What_?" Her façade continued to falter as she tried to think of an excuse.

Seeing this opening, the silver-haired jonin again attempted to kill the kunoichi. "You're not as good an actress as you think you are, Kuruizaki!"

But again, his attempt was foiled by (of course) Sasuke. And behind the safety of her ex-teammate, Sakura glared at her former sensei. _Kakashi, did you really think that I'd be _stupid_ enough not to know about your sharp eyes? You are the only one standing in my way now that Shizune's gone… In front of you, I'll _always_ have a façade on, whether or not you _think_ I've dropped my guard… Plus, I don't plan on being killed by the likes of _you_ . . . not while I still have so many things to do._

However, still powered by his anger (and because Sasuke was going easy on him), Kakashi was able to push back the Uchiha, slamming the missing-nin into the wall. Worried for the ex-Konoha nin, Sakura ran to his side. "Daijōbu desu ka?"

However, by running to her ex-teammate's aid, she had left an opening for the enraged jonin who had taken this chance to hold his sword against the kunoichi's neck. "Why did you kill her?" he demanded an answer from the kunoichi.

Sakura just stared at her former sensei in disbelief, scoffing once. "_Kill her_? I already told you that I had _nothing_ to gain from that! Besides that, she was like a sister to me! Why would I kill _Shizune_?"

"Because she found out about what you were doing, about you betraying the village and helping Madara. That's why you killed her!"

"What are you talking about? The Foundation agents are the ones who killed her! They're the ones who are siding with Madara, not me!"

"_SHUT UP_!" Kakashi yelled as he pulled back his blade, ready to end Sakura's life.

Seeing no way to stop the jonin, Sasuke jumped in front of Sakura and waited for the blade to pierce his skin. However, within moments before the blade touched him, a loud voice boomed through the yard. "Kakashi-sensei!" And Kakashi froze the minute he heard the last of his former students yell out his name.

Never a time was Sasuke as happy as he was now to see the hyperactive blonde and the rest of Konoha 11 and their mentors. Taking a closer look, Naruto saw Kakashi's blade only a centimeter away from the ANBU who was shielding his teammate.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran in front of the ANBU and the kunoichi. "Kakashi-sensei! What's going on? Why are you attacking _Sakura-chan_?"

"Step aside," were Kakashi's only words.

Naruto's eyes widened at this. "Kakashi-sensei, why are you doing this? If it's about Shizune's death, Sakura had nothing to do with it!"

"Naruto's right, Kakashi." Gai said, standing besides his rival, trying to calm down said rival. "Sakura's just as upset as you are by Shizune's death. You shouldn't blame her for it. Come on, we'll take you back to your house."

"If you stand in my way, you _will_ get hurt." Kakashi snarled as he pushed Naruto out of the way, ready again to kill both Sakura and her ANBU protector.

However, the rest of Team Hebi ran in front of their boss and his pink-haired acquaintance, shielding both of them from Kakashi's blade. Shikamaru activated his Shadow Possession jutsu, holding Kakashi in place and immobilizing the jonin, leaving an opening for Neji and Hinata to knock out said jonin. Sakura just watched as Kakashi fell onto the stone floor, her eyes sparkled with spite.

"Bring him back home…" Gai instructed the other jonin but, before he left with other jonin, Gai glanced quickly at Sakura and shook his head. He had noticed the way her eyes had gleamed with pleasure when Kakashi collapsed, and now he too had drawn suspicions on the kunoichi.

As Kakashi was being brought away, Naruto walked up to Sakura who was being helped up by Sasuke. "Are you alright, Sakura-chan? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No," Sakura said, gloomily; her façade on and her eyes wet. "Thanks for asking, Naruto."

And, thanks to her acting skills, her tear-filled eyes were completely noticed by the knucklehead. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that…" Sakura tried to wipe away some of the tears that had gone down her face. "How could Kakashi think that _I'd_ harm Shizune? She was like a sister to me! Not only that, but she's his girlfriend! I wouldn't dare hurt her! How could Kakashi _accuse_ me like this? Doesn't he know me enough to trust me? Why would he accuse me like this?"

"Daijōbu, Sakura-chan." Naruto tried to reassure the kunoichi. "He's just upset that Shizune's gone. I'm sure it'll be all cleared up tomorrow."

Sakura nodded her head. "I hope so… Naruto, you and Sai should go check on him. The jonin are probably going to report to Tsunade-sama about this, and I would really appreciate it if you were with him… He just found out Shizune's dead, you know…"

"Say no more, Ugly, and don't worry yourself to death." Sai gave her a smile. "Me and Dickless will take care of everything."

"Arigato, Sai…"

"But Sakura, why _did_ Kakashi attack you anyway?" Ino asked, still worried. She couldn't believe her best friend would be in such a dangerous situation. To see Konoha's White Fang's son and the student of the Fourth Hokage against her best friend, Ino mentally screamed. She was so worried about Sakura she almost didn't restrain herself from killing the silver-haired jonin either.

"I don't know…"

"Ah, don't worry, Sakura." Shikamaru yawned. "Kakashi's just too upset to think straight. He'll probably come apologize to you after he becomes sober again."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Neji crossed his arms. "Kakashi isn't one to just rush to conclusions without a valid reason. If he attacked Sakura then that means he had a reason and a real good one if he abandoned his friend and attacked her. Perhaps he-_Oof_!"

Tenten nudged Neji hard in the ribcage, glaring at him then looking away and crossing her arms.

"I mean, don't worry." Neji corrected himself. "Kakashi is just not thinking straight."

"Not convincing _enough_," Tenten told him.

"Oh, do I really _have_ to?" the Hyuga asked.

"Yes," Tenten answered while Hinata answered with a "No."

"See, Sakura-san?" Lee asked. "Even Neji-kun knows that Kakashi-sensei is not well . . . _sort of_. But even if he does not think that, all of us know that you have done nothing wrong."

"Thanks, Lee…"

"Sakura-san," Juugo said, "Perhaps it'd be best if you went inside."

"Right…" But the minute Sakura took a step, she collapsed right into Sasuke's arms.

"_Sakura_!" Ino cried, running to her friend's side. "Sakura, what's wrong? SAKURA!"

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

"What are you saying? What do you mean Kakashi _attacked_ Sakura?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Genma said to the Hokage who was now back in her office but still in mourn. "He blamed Haruno-san for Lady Shizune's death. And if the Konoha 11 hadn't shown up, Sakura would've been dead."

"Was there any clear reason?"

"No, Lady Tsunade, but Kakashi wouldn't attack his former student without a reason." Gai explained.

"Lady Tsunade," Kurenai spoke, "Kakashi was so agitated that we couldn't even get through to him. It took Shikamaru and _both_ Neji and Hinata to stop him, not to mention the ANBU squad that protected Sakura."

"But Kakashi must have had a reason for attacking Sakura." Gai protested.

"Yes, I agree," Tsunade said. "But for what reason? What reason did he have? Sakura is _my_ student and, as such, she was very close to Shizune. With what reason would Kakashi suspect Sakura?"

". . . He probably connected Sakura to the crime because of her clan's past relationships with the Uchiha clan. Plus, she did say that she'd do _anything_ for Sasuke. Perhaps, that's why." Genma answered. "And Sakura _was_ close to Shizune. Perhaps Kakashi thought that the reason why Shizune didn't protect herself was not because she _couldn't_ but because she _didn't_ want to. Kakashi might have thought that Sakura, being so close to Shizune-san, was her opponent since she _is_ one of the first ones to come to mind when you think of Shizune's relationships."

"That _does_ make sense…" Tsunade muttered. "But if Sakura _did_ kill Shizune, the ANBU squad would have alerted me and stopped her."

"Lady Tsunade, we are not trying to accuse Sakura of anything." Kurenai said. "We have nothing to go on except for Kakashi's rash decision."

"But are you _sure_ that Sakura had nothing to do with it?" Gai asked. "Maybe Shizune had discovered something about Madara's plan, and the Uchiha asked Sakura to finish her off."

"I'm sure that's not the reason!" Kurenai snapped. "Sakura has a whole ANBU _squad_ watching over her! There's no way she would've been able to do such a thing!" The kunoichi turned to the Hokage. "Lady Tsunade, Konoha ninja are after The Foundation agents. Once they are captured, the truth will be revealed. Sakura is most definitely innocent."

Tsunade nodded her head, thankful that everyone would stop condemning her student. "Who is with Kakashi at this moment?" she asked after a few silence minutes.

"Naruto, Yamato, and Sai." Genma answered.

The elderly lady nodded her head once again. "Good…"

"But how does The Foundation connect with Uchiha Madara and Sasuke?" Kurenai asked. "Danzo wants them both dead."

"Don't know," Tsunade sighed. "But we can only hope that this problem doesn't get any worse."

* * *

**Daijōbu = don't worry**

**Daijōbu desu ka = are you alright?**

**[1] = Kakashi has a misfortune of being stopped when he's about to kill his enemies: Haku took Kakashi's Lightning Blade that was intended for Zabuza Momochi, thus killing Haku instead. Kakuzu countered Kakashi's assault on Hidan. Kakashi was about to kill Guren until Gozu intervened. Pain's Asura path intervened to protect his Deva path from Kakashi.**

**[2] = The White Light Chakra Sabre was a tanto that originally belonged to Sakumo, but then he passed it on to his son, Kakashi. Kakashi used it to fight Kakko, and the blade was destroyed. The tanto gave off a white streak of chakra when it was swung.**

**[3] = "Madly Blooming Flower Bud;" I was flipping through the channels the other day when I came upon TMNT and I heard the name Karai. I liked how it sounded, and apparently it means _flower bud_ (not as a name, but as a common everyday thing), so I chose it as Sakura's name.**

**Yes! Done with the sixth chapter and onto the seventh! I'm so happy! This chapter took me a really long time to do even though I already had the idea in my head. I'm sorry the little battle scene wasn't intense, but I'm not really good at battle scenes so please don't blame me.**

**Also, tell me in your reviews which Akatsuki members you want to see in this fanfiction because a lot of them have died but many people like Sasori, Kisame, Itachi, and Pein. If you would like to see any of the dead Akatsuki members, please tell me in your review.**

**Oh, and please tell me in your review if you read my other fanfiction "_Passion_" because I'm thinking of using all of the character-crossovers from that fanfiction in this one, too. I'm not really creative with new characters and I like to have crossovers, so in your review tell me which characters you want to see in this fanfiction.**

**I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, but please keep in mind that I have another fanfiction to work on, so it might come out late. Thank you for reading and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Bold & Delicious

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

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**Okay, so this is what I decided: Deidara, Sasori, and Kisame are definitely appearing in this fanfiction, but I'm still deciding on Pein and Itachi cuz, you know, I gotta have it make sense somewhat. But thank you for giving me your opinions! I will take them into account, but Pein and Itachi are a _HUGE_ problem for me because I can't find a way for them to fit into the story. As such, they will probably be shown in flashbacks. But I might change my mind since the story plot is still developing, so don't be disappointed. Akatsuki is definitely coming into the story. I just need to think of a way to resurrect them, so they might come really late. Maybe the tenth or twentieth chapter or somewhere in between. If anyone has any ideas, please send me a message or tell me in your review.**

**And if you remember my summary, it says something about Naruto's neck. Yeah, that part is going to come soon but maybe the tenth chapter or after. ****Oh and, if you read closely enough, you will see a few very _tiny_ hints of Naruto and Hinata coupling. Plus, there's going to be a _Blood_+ theme in here, so try to figure out where Sakura's operation is going towards. And this chapter is named after Ayumi Hamasaki's song _Bold & Delicious_. Please enjoy!**

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Chapter Seven

Bold & Delicious

As the Konoha 11 (except for Naruto and Sai who were with Kakashi, and Ino who was upstairs with Sakura and Team Hebi) sat around in Sakura's living room, the event that they just witnessed still resonated in their minds. The same questions flowed through their heads: why did Kakashi attack _Sakura_? None of the reasons they thought of made sense, and there was too little evidence to go on.

"This is troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, leaning against the wall. "Kakashi attacked Sakura but for what reason? And for what purpose? It just doesn't make sense."

"Well, it had to be something really bad." Kiba said. "_'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.'_ That's what Naruto told me Kakashi told him. Now, knowing _that_, Kakashi wouldn't attack Sakura unless it was a _really_, _really_ good reason. Maybe she's betrayed the village and killed Shizune." And Akamaru barked in agreement.

"But . . . Kiba-kun…" Hinata protested. "Sa-Sakura-san wouldn't do that. She . . . she's our friend. If she ha-has any problems, she would've c-come to us and . . . and she'd tell us about it." After she had confessed her love to Naruto when he was battling Pein, she and Sakura had become very close friends, up to the point of becoming like sisters. And just hearing someone _accuse_ Sakura of such a horrible act made her upset.

"Hinata's right! Sakura's our _friend_! She wouldn't betray us!" Tenten seconded Hinata's words. "Plus, Shizune was like a sister to her. There's no way she'd _kill_ her."

"But it really doesn't matter if Shizune was Sakura's sister or not. Even the fact that she's our friend doesn't matter." Neji argued. "The Uchiha betrayed us and killed his own brother. To make matters worse, he used to be Sakura's teammate. Maybe she finally cracked and followed his example."

"Neji! Sakura is _not_ Sasuke." Rock Lee objected. "And needless to say but she will _not_ betray us nor would she kill Shizune."

"And besides, the autopsy said that Shizune didn't die because she was hit with a punch of inhuman strength or because she was hit with a medical jutsu but with a very deadly poisoned arrow." Shino added. "Just from experience, I can tell you that Sakura had _nothing_ to do with Shizune's death. For one, Sakura's really _bad_ with a bow and arrow."

And everyone nodded to that comment.

"She really is," Tenten sighed. "When I was teaching her how to use one, the arrow went flying and hit Gai-sensei like it was Cupid's arrow. Even now, Gai-sensei still has trouble sitting down."

"But you have to admit, it's funny to see her _try_ to use a bow and arrow or any kind of weapon, for that matter." Kiba snickered, remembering all the times he had seen Sakura with such weapon. "Once the arrow went the opposite direction from its target and hit Lady Tsunade's sake cup. Now _that_ was priceless."

"And now, back to my second reason," Shino cleared his throat. "Sakura's arm injuries restrain her from properly using a bow."

"Yeah… But even _without_ those injuries, she still can't fire _any_ arrow correctly." Choji said after munching down on a few couple of chips. "If she _did_ kill Shizune, she probably did it by accident. You know, friendly fire."

"Agreed," everyone suddenly said.

"So . . . did you have any more reasons, Shino?" Hinata asked.

"Just one more," the bug-boy answered. "If Sakura _was_ Shizune's killer, she probably had help."

"Why . . . why would you say that?" Lee asked. "Sakura-san is an excellent kunoichi."

"Yes, but so was Shizune." Shino said. "Think about it: both kunoichi trained under the same teacher, and both kunoichi's medical skills rivaled each others. If they both were to fight and without Sakura's inhuman strength, it would probably be an even match. They would only succeed in tiring each other out, and that would be it. However, Shizune is _dead_, and the battlefield showed no signs of being distorted or demolished in any way that Sakura's punches would destroy it. Also, Shizune used her sword which probably means her opponent was a skilled swordsman. Sakura, even with_out_ her injuries, is not capable of battling with a sword as her weapon for long."

"Yeah, cuz her sword skills stink just as bad as her archery skills." Tenten teased her friend, remembering the time Sakura had accidentally thrown a sword at Lee and managed to shave off the top part of his coconut-styled hairdo.

And so, while Konoha 11 went onto the subject of how horrible Sakura was with _most_ weapons, Team Yamato (excluding Sakura) was speaking with—can you guess?—Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, why did you attack _Sakura_?" Naruto asked, like, the most common question for the day.

"It's _none_ of your business." Kakashi gruffly answered, not once looking at his former student. "Just stay out of it."

"Kakashi-sensei-"

"Just be quiet already, Naruto."

"But Kakashi-sensei-"

"I told you to be quiet, and I'm telling you this because you don't get it. You _think_ you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it. _Get it_?"

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Kakashi was being as cold as he was when he first met him. He even used the same _line_. What was the world coming to?

"Kakashi-sempai," Sai spoke this time. "Will you at least _look_ at us? We're all worried about you."

Kakashi let out a scoff. "You're all probably more worried about _Sakura_."

Naruto let out a nervous chuckle. "Well . . . yeah, her, too." But when he caught Kakashi's doom-and-gloom look, he decided to quickly change the subject. "Come on, Kakashi-sensei. Why are you being so _unreasonable_ today? Is it because you just came out of your coma? Did you lose a few screws or something?"

"Heh, you know, it's funny." Kakashi forged a sarcastic chuckle. "Your cherry blossom said the same thing."

"Oh, r-r-_really_? I . . . I didn't know…" Naruto couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Kakashi-sempai, Sakura is _not_ the target for your revenge." Yamato said. "Why, she was nowhere _near_ the place where Shizune's body was found. Why would you connect her with Shizune's death?"

Kakashi did not answer and continued to look away from the three. _I don't care if I'm labeled a traitor or insane, Shizune… I _will_ stop Sakura's plan, no matter what it is!_

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

As Ino placed the wet cloth on the sleeping Sakura's forehead, she stroked Sakura's cheek. "Oh, Sakura, why do you have to go through all of this?" Ino asked, tears almost forming in her eyes. "First, Sasuke deflects from the village and tries to kill Naruto. Next, the war happens and, then, Tsunade goes into a coma and wakes up after major damage's been done. Sasuke's on _all_ of the ninja nations' _must-kill_ list, and you find out these terrible things about your family. Shizune dies, and now Kakashi has gone against you. I feel so bad for you… You must be so stressed out…"

At that point, one of the Team-Hebi-disguised-as-ANBU cleared their throats. "Perhaps you should let Haruno-san rest. She has had a long day."

Ino didn't look at the speaking person. Her gaze was kept on her pink-haired friend, her hand going through her friend's hair.

"We'll call you up when she's awake." Juugo promised.

"Arigato…" Ino walked over to the door but, before she left the room completely, she gave Sakura one last glance.

However, once Ino was gone, one of Sakura's eyes opened. "She's gone?" she asked.

Suigetsu looked out the door, a cup still in his hand. "Yep, Pinkie. Your friend's down the stairs."

"Oh, good. I don't like lying to her . . . especially _her_… Plus, I was getting tired of pretending to be asleep." Sakura said as she sat up and stretched out her arms.

"Then why didn't you go to sleep?" Karin asked.

"Because!"

"_Because_ . . ?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, just because."

"That's not an answer." Suigetsu whined.

"It is to _me_." Sakura retorted. "Anyway, how much does Kakashi actually _know_? I mean, it's not going to do me a whole lot of good if he doesn't know as much as I _want_ him to know or if he knows too much. And besides, that _was_ what the letter was _for_. Every single word from all of the letters Shizune wanted to write to him but couldn't was in that little letter plus more. I wonder if he even _bothered_ to read in between the lines, and I worked so hard on that. He _better_ have read it…"

"Well, seeing that he wanted to _kill_ you, I'd say he knows _enough_." Suigetsu grinned. "I mean, if you wind up dead, Madara's going to kill _us_."

Sakura frowned and rolled her eyes. "Hey, where's Naruto? I don't hear him downstairs."

"What do you mean you don't _hear_ him?" Karin asked.

"Well, if you put Neji in the same room as both Hinata and Naruto, there'd be _some_ kind of breaking sound." Sakura explained. "The last time it happened, I lost twenty of my good china and a glass table."

"The dobe's with Kakashi." Sasuke answered her question.

Sakura grimaced again. "Well, _that's_ not good. He's going to convince Kakashi _not_ to hate me." She laid back on her back again.

"And," Karin asked, "How do you know _that_?"

"Let's just say that Naruto has had"—she searched for the correct word—"an _ability_ to change others." She rubbed her left arm. "There's a time and place for everything, and the time and place for that ability of his is _not_ with Kakashi." She rubbed her right arm. "And if he _does_ manage to change Kakashi's opinion on things,"—Crossing her arms a bit, she scratched both arms—"My beautiful plan will be ruined. I can't have that, now _can_ I?"

"Oh, thanks for reminding me. I've been meaning to ask you a question. What _is_ your _wonderful_ plan anyways?" Suigetsu asked, noticing Sakura's sudden interest with abrading her arms. He took a sip from the glass cup in his hand. "Can't be any better than your archery skills."

Sakura's eyes narrowed and, suddenly, the cup in the Kirigakure ninja's hand exploded into tiny glass shards. The swordsman's hand immediately turned into water on impact with the glass, and he glared at the pink-haired kunoichi who could only say, "Oops."

"You mean, _big_ oops." Suigetsu said.

Sakura scratched her right arm as she thought it over. "Well, _actually_…" She put her hand under her pillow, searching for something. "_This_," she said, taking out a bag and taking out a shredded piece of dried cuttlefish from it. "Would be a _big-time_ oops." And she put the piece of food into her mouth.

"OH MY KAMI! DRIED CUTTLEFISH[1]!" Suigetsu yelled as he cowardly hid behind Juugo while holding his nose. "So _that's_ where that horrible dryness was coming from!"

"Eh . . . _dryness_?" Juugo and Karin asked. Suigetsu wasn't answering since he was still in his ew-get-it-away-from-me stage, so they turned to the kunoichi.

Sakura shrugged and ate another piece. "I don't know what _he's_ complaining about." Sakura said as she ate an additional piece of cuttlefish. "Ino's mom makes the _best_ stir-fried dried shredded cuttlefish[2]. Here; try some for yourself." She held out the bag to Suigetsu.

"No, thank you." Suigetsu shook his head. "I'd rather _die_!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. "And this is coming from a prodigy at the art of murder who has a habit of chopping off his victim's limbs before beheading them. And yet, he cowers in fear at dried cuttlefish. It's not even poisonous."

"Well, _excuse me_ if I have a problem with something that can reduce my adeptness." Suigetsu hmped. "If I even _touch_ one of those, it'll take me _weeks_ to rehydrate myself! And-"

And while Suigetsu explained his "_allergy_" of dried cuttlefish, Karin sat on Sakura's bed. She wasn't blind (even though she had glasses that look really thick). She had seen Sakura grating her arms and how uncomfortable she was.

"Take off your bandages," she told the Konoha kunoichi. "It's been a whole day already from the operation, and you've been picking at your arms for a while now. It's getting irritating to watch. Maybe you developed an allergy to something with your seal being broken."

"I don't think it's anything _really_, Riri-neechan[3]." Sakura said, scratching her arms again.

"Take off your bandages." Karin commanded again and, this time, in a not-so friendly voice.

"Fine, fine…" Sakura mumbled something inaudible along the lines of "Evil bitch, telling me what to do like she's the boss of me…" And she began to unwrap the bandages around her arm, revealing a few red rashes on her elbows.

Karin pushed up her glasses. "Just as I suspected: your atopic eczema[4] is back." She then walked over to one of Sakura's drawings and began looking through it.

"It's not _necessarily_ eczema," Sakura protested, eating another one of Ino's mother's stir-fried dried cuttlefish. "It could be just a regular rash, you know, because of the bandages."

"Yeah, no." Karin shook her head. "You suffer from a very mild hay fever during the spring, don't you?"—she looked at a few tubes of medication then put them back into the drawer, searching for a different one—"And you used to have asthma[5] as a young child, but you got rid of it shortly after becoming a ninja. Those two factors contribute a lot to eczema."

"Yeah, I would know that cuz I'm a medical-nin, too." Sakura rolled her eyes. She was _not_ some _child_ who didn't know the basic things about her body.

"Well, allergies also contribute to eczema." Karin added, still looking through Sakura's desk. "Take for example, your allergy of _seafood_."

At that moment, everyone's eyes were on the bag of stir-fried dried shredded cuttlefish Sakura held in her hands.

"And even though it's a _mild_ allergy," Karin continued to explain as Sakura slowly put the bag of seafood behind her back. "It can still cause a _big_ problem with eczema."

"Alright, Sakura." Sasuke said, his hand out. "Hand it over." But the kunoichi shook her head and ate another piece. "What do you mean '_no'_?"

"Well . . . _no_ only means _no_, which can be shown with a shake of a head or a very upset emotion. _No_ can't mean _yes_, so what I mean is _no_ as in _no way_ and _no, I'm not handing this thing over to you, Uchiha_." Sakura stuck out her tongue.

Sasuke let out a scoff. "And who says the decision's up to _you_?"

"Well, let me think…" Sakura pretended to think things over. "Hm… The food's _mine_ because Ino's mother _gave_ it to _me_, and whatever_ I_ eat is up to _me_, so . . . technically the decision's _also mine_." She giggled.

Sasuke shook his head.

"Why . . . are you shaking your head?" Sakura's eyes stayed on Sasuke, watching him carefully for any slight movements.

"Well . . ." Sasuke said, mocking her. "Shaking one's head means _no_, which can also be supported with force. Shaking one's head _also _means that you won't believe what's happening or you won't allow the person you're talking to or about do something you don't want them to do, so . . . basically I'm saying _you're handing over that bag, no matter _what_ your decision is_."

Sakura eyes narrowed with disbelief. "_Nani_?" she scoffed. "That's it. I'm going downstairs." But before she got off of her bed and turned for the door, Sasuke was in front of her; his hand held out.

"First, hand over the cuttlefish," he said.

"And if I say '_no'_?"

"Then, as I said before, I'll back it up with force."

The kunoichi narrowed her eyes again and did what no one expected. "Ino?" she called loud enough for her friends downstairs to hear. "_Ino_!"

Team Hebi was suddenly silent as Ino called back up the stairs, "Sakura! You're _awake_? Are you alright? Do you want me to come up?"

"So . . . do I get to _keep_ my snack or not?" she asked in a whispered tone to Sasuke. He grunted in defeat, and she smiled. "Oh, it's okay, Ino!" she called down to her friend. "I just wanted to know if you were still here!"

"Anoo . . . o_kay_…" Ino said, a little bit baffled; her tone was practically screaming, "That was weird."

Sasuke glared at the pink kunoichi, but she just giggled and ate another piece of the dried cuttlefish. However, when her guard was down, the bag was out of her hands and burning in a hot blaze in Sasuke's who just smirked at her.

Sakura grimaced. "_NO FAIR_!" She stomped her foot.

"Oh, look who's acting all childish _now_!" Suigetsu teased, but his comment only earned him a death glare.

"Found it!" Karin suddenly said, holding a packet of powder[6].

Sakura's frown grew, and she groaned. "You _found_ it?" She did _not_ like the licorice and tradition Chinese medicine remedy. To her, it was _way_ too bitter.

"Yes. Now sit down, _little sister_, and I'll have this ready for you to drink in just a bit." Karin smiled wickedly.

Sakura pouted, crossed her arms, and sat back on her bed. "But how do you know I won't vomit it out later? I puked out everything else I ate and drank. Who's to say this will be any different?"

"Well, we're just going to _try_ it, okay?" Karin told her as she took Sakura's teacup from a cabinet and poured hot water into it. "If it _doesn't_ work, I won't _ever_ give it to you again." she added as she poured in the powder and mixed it up with the hot water, making a blackish tea-like liquid.

Sakura made a face and turned to Sasuke. "Do I _have_ to drink that?"

"Yes," he said without even giving it a thought.

"_Why_?"

"Because you were being difficult."

"No, I wasn't."

"Sakura, you were making a fuss over whether or not you'd hand over a bag of stir-fried dried shredded cuttlefish."

"Oh, _fine_!" Sakura took the teacup from Karin and held her nose, drinking the whole drink in three gulps. "D-D-Done!" she said with a few coughs. She held her hand to her mouth.

"Can you hold it down?" Juugo asked, ready to get the garbage can.

"Y-yeah, I th-think so," Sakura coughed. "I just choked a bit…"

"Well, anyway, pinkie, you never answered my question." Suigetsu suddenly said, flashing his shark-like teeth. "What _is_ your _brilliant_ plan anyways? And what have you planned to do with Kakashi?"

Sakura looked at Suigetsu. "It's nothing much… Just something to take him out of his misery… Well, actually, it's something to make his misery even _worse_ . . . up to the point where he'll _kill_ himself but can't."

"Care to share the details?"

"There's really no need for details, is there? I mean, Shizune's death should explain it pretty well." Sakura may have spoken about her late student-mentor's death with ease but, inside, she was still grieving about it—still in mourning for the ebony-haired woman, the woman who was like a sister to her. After all, Shizune's death did come as quite a shock to her.

_The traitor kunoichi closed her eyes, waiting for the sword to strike her, but it didn't. Sakura opened her eyes and saw Shizune just staring; her eyes almost lifeless. The ebony-haired woman dropped her sword and fell to her knees. Sakura's eyes widened even more. As Sakura embraced the medical-nin, she saw it then: the arrow that protruded from Shizune's back. Unable to believe her eyes, Sakura called out to the medical-nin._

_"Shizune…" Sakura spoke as if the ebony-haired woman were still alive. She received no answer. "Shizune?" She took a closer look at her opponent's face. "Shizune? _Shizune_!"_

_The medical-nin's head drooped lifelessly on Sakura's shoulder. "Shi . . . Shi . . . Shizune…" Sakura clutched onto her friend._

_"You have to take care of yourself, Sakura. Don't be fooled . . . and live your life with no regrets… Do it for me, okay?" Shizune's voice sounded so far away._

_"Shizune… Shizune…" Sakura combed away the hair that covered her friend's face. Blood came out of the medical-nin's mouth, almost endlessly. "Shizune, don't go! DON'T GO, SHIZUNE!" She tried to wipe away the blood. "NO! SHIZUNE! DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE! SHIZUNE!" Sakura cried over her fallen ally's corpse, unable to comprehend the fact that her friend was gone. "SHIZUNE! _SHIZUNE_! DON'T GO! SHIZUNE! Shizune, Shizune! Please don't leave! Shizune!" It went on like that for a while. Sakura's tears wouldn't stop. Her crying went on and on…_

_"Are you quite finished now? Stop crying, sweetie. I don't like it when my daughter cries like that."_

_Sakura just ignored the voice. "Shizune… Shizune… Don't go… Shizune…"_

_"Your father said to stop crying, Sakura."_

_That new voice caught Sakura's attention. Her crying ceased, and she turned up to glare at the two Uchihas. She stood up and walked over to Madara, fury raged in her eyes. "You didn't have to kill her."_

_"_What_?" Madara almost laughed at the girl's outrage._

_"Shizune and I trained under the same master. We were like sisters! SHE WAS THERE FOR ME WHEN _YOU_ WEREN'T! SHE WAS LIKE MY SISTER, AND YOU _KILLED_ HER!" Sakura took a deep breath then, trying to hold back tears. "Why did you have to kill her, Daddy?"_

_Madara wouldn't take that from his daughter. _Smack!_ Even though his body wasn't completely solid, he had slapped her across her face, so hard that she fell to her knees. "Because of this woman, should we _all_ get killed?" he yelled. "She found out about your identity, she found out what you were doing! If word got out, it would've meant _your_ execution! Do you _think_ I _want_ to see my _only_ daughter _killed_? Wipe your tears away, and come to your senses!"_

_Once he was done reprimanding his daughter, he turned to the other person. "Sasuke, isn't there a river not too far from here?"_

_"You're not telling me to dump the body in the _river_, are you?"_

_Sakura stared at her father, her eyes pleading. Shizune had died. The least she could do was make sure the body was returned back to her loved ones._

_"No," Madara answered, "Get your team to put the corpse near the river on the outskirts of Konoha. Once the ANBU make their rounds, they should spot the girl's body." He turned back to his daughter. "Also, Karai, stop your crying and prepare for tonight's operation."_

_"Yes, _Daddy_…" Sakura spared Shizune one last look before she left the area with Sasuke. Her eyes stayed on the corpse for a very long time._

"Oy, Pinkie!" Suigetsu suddenly yelled in Sakura's ear causing the kunoichi to almost fall off of her bed.

She rubbed her ear. "_Itai_! What was _that_ for?"

"Oh, you were just spacing out." the swordsman said. "And so I thought you were dead. But never mind that. Tell me about your plan. I don't like to be kept in the dark."

Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Do you _think_ I'd tell you _now_ that you've almost caused me to go _deaf_ in one ear?"

"Oh, come on! _Pretty please_?" Suigetsu asked, almost begged. "Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, _please_!"

"Oh, fine, fine!" Sakura finally gave into the whiny brat. "Just shut up!"

"Yay! Lucky me!"

"Lucky my ass. You're lucky I didn't turn you into shark-fin soup[7]." Sakura mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Oh, _nothing_."

Suigetsu was suspicious but later shrugged it off. "So, anyway, what _is_ your plan?"

Sakura tried to think of a way to put her plan into words, simple words so that Suigetsu's brain didn't need to explode just to figure it out. "Etto . . . I was planning on making Kakashi-sensei into my chevalier[8]."

Team Hebi immediately froze and stared at the kunoichi with widened eyes (well, except for Sasuke who had narrowed his eyes.)

"_What_?" Sakura asked. "Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh. "I swear, you're becoming more and more like your father—childish and anomalously evil."

The kunoichi pouted. "Aren't I _supposed_ to?" Sakura asked. "I mean, it's not like I can take after my _mom_. I don't even have any memories of her. I don't even know her _name_."

"But to make Kakashi your chevalier?" Karin asked. "Isn't that going a bit too far?"

Sakura shrugged and laid back on her bed. "Right now, I'm trying to get Kakashi to hate me as much as he's able to hate me… I don't know how he'll treat me, and I don't know if he'll even acknowledge me anymore, but . . . once he gets to the point of no return, once he hates me so much that he can't even _bare_ to let me breathe a single breath . . . that's when I'll syringe him."

"But _why_?" Juugo asked. "Kakashi is just going to hate you more, and you'll just strengthen him."

"That's where you're wrong, Juugo," Sakura told him. "Because, once Kakashi is turned into a chevalier, a powerful bond will be created between him and me—the Queen who syringed him—compelling him to serve and protect me at all costs. He'd hate himself even more than he'd hate _me_, maybe even up to the point of _death_. And once he gets to that point, he won't be able to return anymore…" Sakura's grip on her cup tightened just a bit, and the teacup in the kunoichi's hand shattered into a million pieces.

At that point, she noticed Team Hebi's eyes on her. "_What_?" she asked innocently. "Why are you all looking at me like that again?"

"Oh, _nothing_. Nothing at all." they all mumbled while averting their eyes; Suigetsu and Juugo whistled credulously. All the while, they all thought the same thing: _She _really_ needs to spend less time with her father._ And unknown to everyone but Sasuke, Sakura's eyes had shifted towards the door.

And meanwhile, just outside of Sakura's room, Ino had heard every word—_every_ single word.

* * *

**Etto = let me see; well; errr...**

**Itai = ow; ouch**

**Nani = what**

**[1] = something Suigetsu is not fond of (as you can tell). Dried cuttlefish/squid contains a lot of MSG, salt, and other seasonings so it tends to make you very thirsty.**

**[2] = I got the idea off of Ojingeochae bokkeum, a Korean dish made by stir-frying dried shredded squid in a sauce based on chili pepper paste and sugar or corn syrup. I had to change the squid to cuttlefish since I only know Suigetsu doesn't like cuttlefish.**

**[3] = a nickname I came up with for Karin. Adorable, isn't it? I really didn't like Karin, but I don't really like to use bitches in my fanfiction, so she and Sakura are going to have an on/off sister relationship. But don't worry. They'll still fight . . . but not every time they're together in the same room.**

**[4] = also called atopic dermatitis, atopic eczema is an allergic disease believed to have a hereditary component and often runs in families whose members also have hay fever and asthma. Itchy rash is particularly noticeable on head and scalp, neck, inside of elbows, behind knees, and buttocks. Experts are urging doctors to be more vigilant in weeding out cases that are, in actuality, irritant contact dermatitis. It is very common in developed countries, and rising. There is considerable anecdotal evidence that salt water baths may help some children with atopic eczema. It has been given names like "prurigo Besnier," "neurodermitis," "endogenous eczema," "flexural eczema," "infantile eczema," and "prurigo diathsique."**

**[5] = yeah, I know you guys know what asthma is, but I'm just going to give you a technical rundown. Asthma is characterized by a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways (bronchi) are reversibly narrowed. Asthma affects 7% of the population of the United States, 6.5% of British people and a total of 300 million worldwide. During asthma attacks (exacerbations of asthma), the smooth muscle cells in the bronchi constrict, the airways become inflamed and swollen, and breathing becomes difficult. And also, you can get rid of your asthma if you stay active like doing yoga or jogging.**

**[6] = Yeah, the powder thingy is based on a medicinal remedy I read about that treats eczema. Zemaphyte® is a produced in the United Kingdom. The remedy contains licorice and nine other herbs. Zemaphyte® is most commonly used to treat steroid resistance eczema, childhood and adult eczema as well as atopic eczema.**

**[7] = a Chinese soup that has been a popular item of Chinese cuisine since the Ming Dynasty, usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in Chinese culture.**

**[8] = creatures from the anime _Blood_+, created to protect their Queens**

**Ooh, cliffhanger! I know this chapter is kind of crappy in some ways, but I couldn't come up with a good idea to update quickly enough. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better and more romantic, but for now it's kind of stupid. Yeah, and I know Sakura doesn't suffer hay fever; I just made that up to go along with things. You'll see a lot of technical terms in my stories because I like to educate people on** **worthless-sometimes-useful-but-only-rarely information. Sorry, but please keep reading. Thank you!**

**OMG! I just noticed that this is the longest chapter I've made in all of my fanfictions! Yay me! I _must_ be doing better! Thanks for all your support! Please have patience and I'll have more chapters up before you know it!**

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**POLL!**

**How many of you like Temari and Shikamaru as a couple? Or do you all like InoxShikamaru? And how many of you like SaixIno?**

**Would you like it better if I have Kiba's older sister, Hana, be Itachi's ex-girlfriend?**

**And would you guys like it if I make a mini-story of how Sasuke and Sakura came to be on the same side? **

**Please tell me in your reviews! Thank you!**


	8. Chapter 8: Sakura's Red Sin

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

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**Okay, this chapter is going towards a _Blood_+ and _Vampire Knight _theme here, so I'm sorry if some of you guys don't like the anime I based the chapter on but, for those who don't like this chapter, the next chapter will be better. This chapter's name is based on the _Vampire Knight _opening ふたつの鼓動と赤い罪 (_Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi_) by ON/OFF. I don't really know the English translation of the title, but I believe it's something along the lines of "Two beating Hearts and Red Sins." Anyway, please enjoy!**

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Chapter Eight

Sakura's Red Sin

Ino's back slid against the wall as she sat on the cold ground. _What's going on?_ she thought. _Why is Team Hebi in there with her? Why aren't they fighting each other? Is that girl even Sakura?_ She shook her head, still in denial. _No, the Sakura I know would never be that conniving… Madara must have done something to her… She has to be an imposter._ "Yeah, an imposter… That's it…" she whispered to herself. "Yeah, that _has_ to be it."

"Has to be _what_?"

Ino turned her head and was met by Sakura's smiling face. The cherry blossom reached out to stroke her friend's cheek but, frightened, the Yamanaka girl lurched to her feet, maybe a yard away from the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura's emotionless gaze stayed on Ino, a frown made its way onto her face. "Is there something wrong, Ino? What's the matter?"

Ino found herself intimidated by the kunoichi's eyes and the fact that Sakura looked like a ghost in her floor-length white-ivory silk dress that had a lot of ruffles and an extensive train along with a white silk shawl that flowed in the air. Ino backed up a little, still deciding whether or not to run and tell the others.

"Ino?" Sakura asked again. She took a step forward, but…

"_NO_!" Ino shrieked as she took out a gun and pulled the trigger.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

_"NO!" BANG!_

"That was Ino!" Shikamaru exclaimed, alerting all of Konoha 11. "And it came from Sakura's room!"

"I smell blood_—Sakura's_ blood!_"_ Kiba yelled as Neji ordered Lee to go get Naruto and Sai and alert the jonin.

"Let's go!" Tenten led the group up the stairs and down the hall. However, when they got to the corridor that led to Sakura's room, they ended up on the other side of it. "What?" They ran back but ended up on the side they started at.

"A . . . a _barrier_?" Hinata asked as her Byakugan scanned the area.

"But _whose_?" Neji asked, Byakugan activated. "And _why_?"

"Save the questions for later," Shino said, his bugs searching for an opening in the barrier. "We've got to get to Ino and Sakura before they both end up like Shizune!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Sakura's blood dripped onto the floor, and a black thread of chakra extended from the barrier and immobilized Ino.

"Heh… Such a horrible girl you are, Ino… Shooting me like that . . . and with the present _I_ gave you…" Sakura clutched her bleeding arm, her unruly hair covered half of her face. "You practically ruined my dress, and it's the one _you_ gave me…"

Ino struggled to free herself from the barrier's hold but, even though the thin chakra-thread only held one of her wrists, the hold was incredibly strong and unbreakable.

"Difficult, isn't it?" Sakura asked her as she pumped chakra into her wound, healing the injury in the process. "To escape from my Silent Wall[1]…"

She walked up to her friend and giggled as she stroked Ino's cheek. "You know, it took me a _really_ long time for me to develop this jutsu… Even now, I'm still exhausted just by using it."

Ino slapped away Sakura's hand and, with her free hand, held up her gun at the pink-haired kunoichi—a clear shot at Sakura's heart.

"Shoot me, Ino-pig…" the cherry blossom said. "End all of my crimes now and pull the trigger…"

However, as Ino tried to pull the trigger, her hand shook, and she found herself unable to strike the final blow.

"Are you surprised that you can't do it?" Sakura smirked, and her hand played around in Ino's hair. "Well, it's to be expected, right? I mean, after all, we _are_ very close friends—almost _sisters_, in fact." Her breath tickled Ino's skin.

"GET—" Ino pushed the girl away from her. "_AWAY_—" She aimed her gun. "FROM—" And she pulled the trigger twice. "_ME_!" _BANG!_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

_BANG!_

"Hurry and find an opening!" Choji shouted. "That was the second time Ino has used her gun in that battle! Something must be going wrong in there! She's never used her gun this many times before!"

"We're _trying_!" Neji shouted back as he and Hinata recovered from a combined attack on the barrier. "But the barrier won't break, no matter what we do!" _I don't like this… Just one hit from the Gentle Fist[2] should have broken the jutsu! And not only that, Sakura's chakra signature is written all over this barrier, but it's too strong to be hers… Just what's going on?_

"Ugh!" Tenten groaned. "Where's Naruto and his Rasengan when we _need_ them?"

"You talking about _me_?" a hyperactive voice came from a nearby opened window.

Hinata smiled. "Naruto-kun!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Again, Sakura's blood rained onto the floor but, this time, it came in a bit bigger amounts.

"My," she said in a blasé tone; the wound she had just healed reopened and another opened on the side of her waist. "You sure have an affinity for missing your target, Ino-pig…" she said to her friend whom Sasuke and Suigetsu had their blades up against her throat. "Too bad you didn't shoot my heart…" Sakura clutched the wound on her side.

"Yo, Pinkie! Can I chop off your cute little friend's arms and legs? Maybe even her head, too?" Suigetsu asked, a little bored with Sakura's speech.

Ino tensed, but the pink-haired kunoichi's eyes glared at the swordsman. "Suigetsu, go get Karin and Juugo…" she said instead of answering his question.

"_Aw_! But _why_?"

"I need to make sure Konoha 11 thinks it's you guys who attacked us…" Sakura explained. "If not…" But before she explained any more, Suigetsu already understood and left the room. Content, Sakura walked towards the weakened Yamanaka girl, placing her hand under the girl's chin. "You know, Ino, bleeding can cause a chiropteran[3] and even a vampire intense hunger-_Ah_!" Sakura let out a quiet and pained shriek, and her hand shot up from under Ino's chin to her neck.

Eyes widened, Ino saw it then: a curse mark in the shape of a Unicursal hexagram[4]. "Sakura, daijōbu desu ka?" She couldn't help but worry about her friend.

"I'm _fine_—better than I was when you shot me…" Sakura said coldly, a hint of sadness glazed her voice. Her eyes shifted to the Uchiha who had his Sharingan activated. "Why did you-"

"So you wouldn't do anything you'd regret later." Sasuke answered her question before she even finished asking it.

"I'm perfectly sane, and I _know_ what I'm doing." Sakura snapped.

"So, it's either you'll syringe her or you'll kill her?" the Uchiha asked.

Ino's eyes widened at that, and she tensed with fear. She turned to Sakura whom she hoped would say something but didn't.

"You _do_ know what'll happen if either of those outcomes becomes reality, don't you?"

"I'll deal with the consequences later." Sakura answered harshly. "Right now, I'm _starving_… And you know how cranky I am when I'm hungry."

Sasuke didn't answer for a while, but then Sakura's eyes turned pleading. He sighed in defeat. "_Fine_…" he reluctantly said.

"Yay!" the pink-haired kunoichi smiled. "Arigato, Sasuke-kun!"

Seeing enough, Ino tried to free herself from the barrier's grasp, struggling, but never succeeded. And so instead, she opted for calling for help. "Shikamaru! Choji! _Someone_! _Anyone_! Help!"

Sakura's hand came under Ino's chin, forcing Ino to face the terrifying kunoichi. "It's not going to do you any good to scream like that…" Sakura told the frightened kunoichi. "My Silent Wall only lets out the sounds _I_ _want_ to let out, and I'm afraid that your calls for help aren't going to benefit me in anyway, so I really don't want anyone else to hear them…"

"_What_?" Ino couldn't believe her ears. The Sakura that stood in front of her was definitely the real Haruno Sakura, but she was too malevolent to be herself. Ino just couldn't find it in her heart to believe that her friend would become like this. There was just no way!

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura didn't even face him as she spoke, keeping her eyes on Ino's terrified face. "Once Ino screams, my barrier will break, and you're going to have to hold me back or the act will go to waste."

"Sakura, why are you doing this?" Ino asked her friend. "Is Madara _forcing_ you to do this?"

Sakura didn't answer those questions and just said, "No matter what the answers are, they won't do you any good… It'd be best if you listen to what I say."

"Sakura… Please don't do this…" Ino pleaded. "Please, Sakura… I know this is hard for you, but please… You can still right your wrong. You can't be fooled so that you can live your life with no regrets."

"Funny, that's the _exact_ _same_ thing Shizune told me right before she died…"

Ino gasped. "D-d-did you . . . _kill_ her? Were _you_ the one who _killed_ Shizune?" She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

Sakura stayed impassive. "No…" she answered much to Ino's relief. "I only witnessed her death…"

Ino let out her held breath and nodded her head thankfully.

"You're really _weird_, Ino-pig." Sakura said. "If_ I_ were in _your_ position, I'd be worrying about myself rather than the circumstances of one of my companions' death."

Suddenly, Ino's eyes were wide, and she shook with fear.

"Daijōbu…" Sakura reassured her, resting on panicky kunoichi's shoulder and breathing against her skin. "Just because you're my friend, I'll be gentle." And as Sakura's fangs pierced Ino's skin. For the blonde, the pain kunoichi was almost unbearable.

* * *

**Daijōbu desu ka = are you alright?**

**[1] = a jutsu I made up for Sakura that I copied off of _Sailor Moon _(the attack was used by Sailor Saturn) but with a few modifications**

**[2] = for those who don't know, gentle fist is based on palm strikes and generally aims to damage the body's Chakra Pathway System, thus creating difficulty by inhibiting an opponent's use of chakra. To do this, the user will forcefully insert a small amount of their own chakra into an opponent's chakra pathway system. The chakra can then be used to rupture or divert chakra flow, preventing them from using jutsu. It can also be used to attack the opponent's internal organs, to which the chakra pathway system is closely tied. Even the slightest tap from this style can cause major damage, hence the name "gentle fist." Because the chakra pathway system is invisible, the Byakugan is required for this style to be used effectively. Since the Byakugan is unique to the Hyuga clan, it has become their signature style of combat.**

**[3] = creatures from the anime _Blood+_ that resemble bat-like monsters; chevaliers are classified as chiropterans**

**[4] = a hexagram or six-pointed star that can be traced or drawn unicursally, in one continuous line rather than by two overlaid triangles. The hexagram can also be depicted inside a circle with the points touching it. The one I'm using is the one of the symbols for the religion Thelema.**

**Sorry if this chapter was short! But I kind of rushed it a little bit, so I hope this meets your expectations. Oh, and Sakura is _NOT_ lesbian! I just thought it'd be cool for her to act like that. Oh, and she is _NOT_ Sasuke's boss! As the curse mark shows, _he_ is _her_ boss . . . in some ways. It's just that he gives into her . . . _a lot_.**

**But anyway I've taken all of your opinions into account, and I'll be making a mini-story about how Sasuke and Sakura came to be on the same side. But I need some ideas. Oh, a****nd the Akatsuki members are definitely coming back . . . all except for Itachi. Yeah, I'm still deciding on him, and I'll keep that a surprise whether or not he's showing up in my fanfiction! So, on that note, I bid you farewell for now!**

* * *

**POLL!**

**How would you like Sasuke and Sakura to meet (And I mean, when Sakura's out to kill him as in what's going on in the manga right now, not like in their childhood days)? By accident (like she bumps into him after she's given up looking for him or he saves her from somebody)? Or like she actually is able to find him?**

**Oh, and about Neji's mother, her character will come into the story but more in flashbacks since I'm still deciding whether or not she's dead. But I think I'll use a crossover character, so please vote. **

**Would you rather have Mistress 9 (from _Sailor Moon_), Lady Izayoi or Kaguya (from _Inuyasha_), Lady Eboshi (from _Princess Mononoke_), or Camula (the vampire Shadow Rider from _Yu-gi-oh!GX_)? **

**Or if you guys have any better characters for this role please tell me! (Just remember in order for the character to be Neji's mother, she needs to have a somewhat serious personality, somewhat evilness in her, and a somewhat royal appearance in her character design.)**


	9. Chapter 9: Such a Girl

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

* * *

**Okay, so here's what I decided. I won't tell you who Neji's mother is going to be but, since there was only one response to my poll, the decision should be pretty self-explanatory. I haven't really decided how the Akatsuki is going to be coming back to life, but they're coming . . . just not yet. I'm doing a bit of research on some anime to come up with a good idea but, so far, there's really nothing I can use.**

**So, anyhow, this chapter is going to show more of Sakura's wonderful acting skills, and it's going to be the start of a mission. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: _Yes, finally! They're going to go on a mission._ Oh, and at the end, there's a little _Vampire Knight_-based romance (I guess you could call it a fluff). This chapter's named after the song by Trish Thuy Trang, so please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Nine

Such a Girl

_"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

"_INO_!" Choji and Shikamaru were tremendously worried about their teammate. That was the loudest they had ever heard her scream, and she sounded as if she were in excruciating pain.

"Naruto, can't you hurry it up?" Tenten asked, now too impatient since one of her friends was in harm's way.

"I'm _trying_!" the two Narutos (one a shadow clone) replied as they _finally_ formed the Rasengan. And once the Rasengan was formed, the shadow clone disappeared, and Naruto charged at the black barrier. The two opposing chakras made impact but, even though the barrier started to waver, it did not break.

_Come on! Come on!_ Naruto thought as he added a little bit more chakra into the Rasengan. However, he didn't need to do that because the barrier became a bright sky blue and dispersed into thousands of crystal-like shards. And shortly, those shards faded away into the wind.

"The barrier broke!" Lee exclaimed. "Truly marvelous, Naruto!" He gave Naruto a thumbs-up.

"Gee, it was _nothing_." Naruto grinned, happy that he was able to help. However, their happy little tête-à-tête was cut short.

_"INO!"_

"That was Sakura!" Naruto ran ahead of the group, made a quick left, and came upon the sight of a crying Sakura being held back by her ANBU sentry. "SAKURA!"

Upon hearing her name, the pink-haired kunoichi stopped her screams and turned her head. "Naruto…"

"Sakura, what happened?"

"Oh, Naruto…" Sakura's tears began to pour out of her eyes again. "I couldn't stop them! They took her!" She wrapped her arms around the hyperactive ninja and began crying. "They _took_ her, Naruto! She's _gone_!"

"_What_?" Naruto asked as the rest of Konoha 11 came. "What are you talking about, Sakura?" He looked around, unable to believe what she said. "Who's gone? And . . . where's Ino?"

"Naruto, I couldn't _save_ her!" the cherry blossom wept.

"Sakura, calm down." Hinata said, holding onto the kunoichi's hands. "And tell us what happened."

"Hinata… Th-they took her…" Sakura shook with each breath she took.

"What are you talking about, Ugly?" Sai asked, still a little oblivious to everything going on. "_Who_ took _who_?"

"Team . . . Team Hebi . . . t-t-took Ino…"

"_WHAT_?" Konoha 11 couldn't believe their ears—really, they couldn't believe it. How could _Team Hebi_ get into the village without tripping the alarms? And were they the ones who killed Shizune? And what did they want with _Ino_? Nothing was making sense anymore.

"Sakura, are you _sure_ it was them?" Shikamaru asked, a little skeptical. "Are you _sure_ it was Team Hebi?"

Sakura nodded her head. "I saw them with my own eyes." she answered. "The ugly red-haired girl… The stupid guy with Zabuza's sword… That deranged man… And Sasuke-kun… They took her as a hostage in exchange for information…" She looked up at her teammate, grabbing his shirt, shaking him roughly, and crying into his chest. "Naruto, we have to follow them! We _have_ to get Ino back! She could be killed or worse! Naruto, _please_! I can't lose her, too!"

"Sakura-san, please get a hold of yourself." Lee pleaded with the horrified kunoichi. "Calm down and tell us what happened. Are you _sure_ it was Sasuke and his team?"

"_Yes_! I saw them with my own _eyes_! They _took_ Ino!" Sakura screamed at the spandex-wearing ninja. "We have to go save her! She lost too much blood! She could _die_! We have to go after them!"

"Haruno-san, the ANBU are already pursuing them." her ANBU guard said, but Sakura just snapped at him.

"_NO_!" she shrieked. "The ANBU couldn't protect Shizune! How can I trust them to protect Ino? I can't lose another one of my friends!"

"Sakura, please calm down…" Hinata pleaded with the pink-haired kunoichi.

"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN?" Sakura screamed at the Hyuga heir. "Ino's _gone_! And it's all my fault! What am I going to do if she dies? I've already lost Shizune! I'm not losing her, too!"

"Sakura…" But before Naruto could say anything, Sakura glared at him.

"Why aren't you listening to what I have to say?" she asked him callously. "Is it because you _believe_ in Kakashi-sensei's bogus accusation?"

"Sakura…"

Sakura scoffed. "DO YOU ALL _BELIEVE_ HIM? You all must think I'm going crazy or something, don't you?"

"Sakura-san-" Lee tried to gripe against the kunoichi's indictments, but he couldn't get a word out.

"Step aside." the pink-haired kunoichi told Naruto who stood in front of her.

"Sakura, where do you intend to go?" he asked her, worried for her safety.

"To find Ino, so step aside."

"Sakura-san, you can't go in your condition." Neji protested. "You're wounded. Perhaps you should-"

"_STEP ASIDE_!" Sakura took out a kunai but, before she injured anyone with it, they all backed up. "If you're not going to find her then I will." And she made her way through the Konoha 11.

However, looking down at the floor, Naruto saw a trail of blood. "Sakura! _Please_!" he pleaded again with the kunoichi. But he didn't need to because, in a few seconds, Sakura stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes, and she began to collapse. But she didn't hit the floor because her ANBU guard (Sasuke) caught her just in time.

"_Sakura_!" Tenten and Hinata rushed to their friend's side.

"She'll be alright." Sasuke-disguised-as-ANBU said. "She's just fainted because of blood loss."

While Tenten and Hinata found relief in the "_ANBU's_" words, Naruto just couldn't put his finger on where he had heard the guy's voice. _I know he sounds familiar…_ he thought. _But who could he be? Is it Itachi? . . . No, he's dead… Hm… Who could it be? Is it Haku? No… He's dead, too. Kakashi made sure of it and buried him underground. So, who could it _be_?_

"Uzumaki-san," the ANBU said, snapping said ninja out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah?" Naruto asked, still a little dazed by how familiar the "_ANBU's_" voice was.

"I suggest you inform the Hokage of the events that have happened here. Don't go alone, though. You don't know how many of our enemies are still lurking around." Sasuke answered as he opened the door to Sakura's room.

"Wait!"

The ANBU stopped and turned back to the jinchuuriki.

"For now, you're my friend." Naruto told him. "But if you hurt Sakura in _any_ way, I'll _kill_ you, no matter if you're ANBU or not."

Sasuke didn't say anything, just nodded his head and went into Sakura's room. And for a while, Naruto's eyes didn't leave the door that led into his teammate's room. He was worried—that was an understatement. He was _extremely_ worried about Sakura. Right now, he knew, she was the one who was under the most stress, and she was as delicate as—maybe even more delicate than—her namesake. She could break at any second, he knew that much.

"Kiba, does her story check out?" Neji asked.

"Yeah," dog-boy grunted with Akamaru barking with approval. "Team Hebi was _definitely_ here. Their stench stinks up this whole hallway."

"Good…" Neji nodded his head. "Then we have no reason to suspect Sakura of anything . . . _yet_."

"Wait! _What_?" Naruto felt the anger boiling up in himself. "What do you mean '_yet_'? Sakura wouldn't betray us, and she _wouldn't_ attack Ino! She wouldn't attack Shizune either, let alone _kill_ her! What are you trying to pull, Neji?"

"Calm down, Naruto." Shino said. "We're just making sure there's nothing to back up Kakashi's story and to prove Sakura's innocence."

"So . . . you _doubted_ her!" Naruto growled.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke softly. "It's only just in case… If the Elders want to bring this case into court or anything, we need to make sure we can protect Sakura… She's already on their hit list because of Sasuke."

Naruto calmed down, but his fists shook.

"Naruto-kun…" Lee put a hand on the ramen-loving ninja's shoulder. "We are all worried about Sakura. However, right now, we need to save Ino and inform Lady Tsunade of this tragedy."

"Bushy Brows is right." Sai said. "If word gets to the Elders about Kakashi's accusation against Sakura, they'll use it. They'll use _any_ excuse to put Sakura behind bars or execute her. No one wants that to happen, Naruto. You have to believe that."

The jinchuuriki sighed. "Let's talk about this later. We've got to rescue Ino!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Sakura's eyes flickered open, searching her room; her body stiff. Her mind was dazed and slow as she tried to remember the past events. She inhaled deeply, wondering what would happen. Something cold touched her forehead with the softest pressure, and her eyes shifted towards that person.

"How long . . . how long was I asleep?" she croaked, her throat sore. Her head spun a little, and a rustic scent filled the air she breathed.

"Less than an hour… Fifteen minutes, at the least."

"Crap." She sat up, but even that slight movement made her sick. She vomited a fountain of blood onto the floor along with a blackish fluid. She fell back onto her bed, clutching the side Ino shot, and her body twitched a bit.

Sasuke stroke her cheek, and she looked up at him.

"Daijōbu…" she breathed. She knew he was going to ask anyway. His eyes said it all, so there was no need for him to ask. "I can't _believe_ I gave her an anti-demon gun…" she muttered to herself. "Next time, it'll be nail polish."

Sasuke sighed. "Hopefully, you've learned your lesson. Maybe next time, you'll leave the fighting to my team and me."

"And miss out on all the fun?" Sakura asked, her speech a bit slurred. "I don't think so."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "You're so unreasonable."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Sakura smiled, sitting up but then coughing.

"Oh Kami-sama, what am I going to _do_ with you?" Sasuke asked as he felt her burning forehead. "You're practically a spoiled and untamed princess with no experience of the outside world. Madara should've kept you out of society for a while."

"It's all just innocent fun." Sakura muttered. "If you wanted to keep me locked-in so badly then you should've kept me hidden and allowed Konoha to believe I was _dead_!"

"Would you really have preferred it if we'd done it that way?" the missing nin asked. "If I could have, I would've gladly done so."

The kunoichi just pouted and turned away from her ex-teammate.

The Uchiha placed his hand under her chin and turned her face towards his. "I'm just saying that you should be more careful. I have no intention of keeping you trapped inside like a little docile puppet but, in the eyes of the human society, it's more dangerous than you _think_ it is because, right now, you're only a toddler when it comes to being a vampire. You need to be careful or your friends will have their doubts."

Sakura let out a sigh and rested against Sasuke's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. ". . . Do you think Shizune hates me for not being able to save her?" she asked after a long while of silence.

That astounded the Uchiha, making him roll his eyes. _Of all the things to worry about, she worries about _that_! What _am_ I going to do with her?_ But he had no answer for her. He hadn't known the ebony-haired medical-nin for as long or as much as she did, so what was he supposed to say?

Sakura adjusted herself a little, still resting on Sasuke's chest and listening to his heartbeat. Lately, she had gotten pretty good at recognizing people's moods and sudden auras that would foretell future events. However, as good as she got, Sasuke had also gotten better at hiding whatever she needed to read. For example, his heartbeat. He knew how to control it pretty well now. It was almost always steady, and Sakura found it harder to read him. It was the same this time around.

A frown creased her forehead, but the frown disappeared shortly. "We were like sisters in a way…" she mumbled. "To see her die like that . . . it really wrecked my outlook on things. I mean, I always thought she'd always be there for me and Lady Tsunade… Just remembering that peaceful face on her corpse . . . I really feel the weight of guilt and murder… She's endured so much sadness for my sake, and I thought I could let her die peacefully and painlessly, and yet…" She clutched her sides, crossing her arms over her stomach and pressing down on it; intense hunger and thirst cursed her. "Gomen…" she said, struggling not to breathe in Sasuke's scent. "I'm acting really spoiled again, aren't I?"

Sasuke held her in his arms, holding her close to him. "Silly girl…" he said, listening to her unsteady breathing. "You weren't the one who killed Shizune nor did she bare you any hatred. You said it yourself: you two were like sisters, and nothing's going to change that. Even when Shizune fought you, she didn't have the nerve to actually _harm_ you nor did she _intend_ to. You have to know that."

But as Sakura listened, her thirst and hunger grew; her breath became much more uneven, and her body trembled.

"Sakura, is your human side giving you difficulties?"

She didn't answer.

"If it was anything else, I would wait for as long as you need to actually come to a decision… However, this is the one thing that I cannot allow to go on."

Sakura froze almost immediately after hearing that. She looked up at Sasuke's face, but she smelled it then: fresh blood, trickling out of his hand. She buried her face in the Uchiha's chest, but her hand instinctively reached out for his bleeding hand which he held out of her reach.

"Sakura," he said. "You must use your fangs to get blood for yourself, not only for fun but when you actually _need_ the nourishment. You've almost completely lost your ability to digest human food. If this keeps up, you'll starve yourself. You're no longer a child, Sakura."

But the kunoichi shook her head, unwilling to give herself into her inner beast, but her hand kept instinctively reaching out for the blood. Sighing, Sasuke gave into the girl and held his injured hand in front of her. Automatically, Sakura clutched onto his arm and began licking the blood off of his hand.

"Really, Sakura… Why would you do that to yourself if you're this starved for blood?" the Uchiha asked. "If this was what you'd do then why didn't you take more blood from Ino?" He stroked the kunoichi's cheek with his now cleaned off hand, the girl still holding onto it.

"Because . . . a vampire's thirst can only be quenched by the blood of their loved one." the pink-haired girl murmured. "Ino's blood and everyone else's . . . they're only for my amusement. No matter what, your blood is the only blood I want…"

* * *

**Whoo! This chapter is finished (though I found it really short after I re-read it)! And after the next one, I'll be starting the mini-story—you know, the mini-story that will tell you how everything came to be in my fanfiction. It's going to be called _alterna_, after Ayumi Hamasaki's song on her 36th single, but I don't think I'll show you the whole mini-story one chapter after another. Maybe after every tenth chapter, there will be a mini-story or a small special (if you guys want some comedy or something). I haven't decided yet on how I'll do it, and I haven't really decided on how Sasuke and Sakura will meet, so it might be late. So please be patient, and I'll have the next chapter up soon… See ya later! **

* * *

**_POLL_!**

**Who do you want on the mission to save Ino? Please list a few people, but not all of Konoha 11. If you want some of the jonin to go on it then please say so. I'll try to include them if possible.**

**Do you think Sakura should go on this mission or should she conduct the whole show from the safety of her home?**

**Which Akatsuki member do you want to appear first (besides from Madara)?**

**How do you want Sakura to be found out? And by who? (Keep in mind: Ino can't tell anyone anything because of what happened.)**

**Oh, and please tell me if you'd like to see any crossover characters from any anime. I'll gladly take them into account.**


	10. Chapter 10: Monochrome

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

* * *

**Finally! I got the chapter up! Yay! But it's not the mini-story… I couldn't really think of how I wanted Sasuke and Sakura to meet, so . . . yeah, this chapter is here to replace your disappointment. Sorry, but please enjoy this chapter (which is named after Ayumi Hamasaki's song).**

* * *

Chapter Ten

Monochrome

"_What_!?" Tsunade jumped out of her seat. "Ino's been taken _hostage_ by _Team Hebi_!?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shikamaru answered. "Sakura told us right after we got to the battlefield—or in this case, the hallway that led to her bedroom. Both Kiba and Neji have examined the crime scene, and her story checks out."

Something in that sentence just ticked Tsunade off. "What do you mean by '_both Kiba and Neji have examined the crime scene_'? Huh!? Do you _doubt_ my apprentice!?"

And, even though he realized his mistake, Shikamaru didn't even try to argue or deny anything. "Right now, trust is very limited in this world. Shizune has just been killed, and we don't even have any clues as to _who_ killed her but a Foundation arrow. _Anyone_ could've shot that arrow, which also suggests that Sakura is a likely candidate since she knew enough about Shizune to take her down in a short amount of time. Not only that, Sakura also has authorization to access Konoha's artillery. It's possible that she got the arrow from there and killed Shizune with it."

The angered Hokage slammed a fist down onto her desk and split it in half. "_WHO_ IN THE _FREAKIN'_ WORLD GAVE _YOU_ THE RIGHT TO ACCUSE _MY_ APPRENTICE!?! I _DARE_ YOU TO SAY IT AGAIN, NARA!"

"Lady Tsunade, please hear us out." Neji said, stepping forward.

The Hokage just glared at the Hyuga for a moment then sat back down in her seat. "You've got _thirty seconds_ to state anything against Sakura."

"We know for a fact that Team Hebi was there, but we don't believe they actually engaged in a battle with neither Ino nor Sakura."

"All of Ino's jutsu require for her to get _inside_ her opponent's mind, and Sakura is fairly sick. I don't believe she can use _any_ of her jutsu, let alone if she even _has_ any chakra." Tsunade said. "Plus, there _was_ that barrier. Perhaps it warped the reality of the battlefield."

"Yes, but that barrier was _Sakura's_ jutsu." Shino spoke this time.

"_What_?" Not only was Tsunade surprised but so was the rest of Konoha 11 (who weren't saying anything against Sakura).

"It's true," Neji said. "The barrier may have been powerful, but I could see Sakura's chakra signature. I have no doubt that it was Sakura's."

"Neji..." Tenten tugged on the Hyuga's arm, watching the enraged Hokage very carefully.

"NOW, YOU LISTEN TO ME, HYUGA! NARA AND ABURAME, TOO!" Tsunade yelled so loud that even Gaara and his siblings in Suna could hear it. ("The Hokage must be made again," they said to each other.) "SAKURA'S _MY_ STUDENT! IF _ANYONE_ HAS ANYTHING BAD TO SAY ABOUT HER, IT'LL BE _ME_! SO SHUT YOUR TRAPS AND STAY THAT WAY UNTIL I SAY SO!!!"

No one dared say a word. Tsunade was just too creepy with her temper overloading and without Shizune there to stop her.

"Please calm down, Lady Tsunade…"

Surprised by that soft voice, everyone turned to the window sill where a pink-haired kunoichi sat; her ANBU sentry supporting her.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran to his teammate's side. "You're supposed to be _resting_! What are you doing here? You'll get sick again!"

"Daijōbu, Naruto… Besides, I wanted to check up on Lady Tsunade again anyway…" the kunoichi murmured, looking at her mentor. "Shisou, as Hokage, you have to listen to _everyone's_ opinion. You can't be biased, and you shouldn't be defending anyone."

Tsunade just sat back in her chair. "I know, I know…" she sighed. "At times like these, Shizune would always scold me for being so immature… I still can't believe she's gone… I can still hear her scolding me… I can remember it like it was yesterday…"

And as if a cold wave of remorse flowed through the room, everyone there (meaning all of Konoha 11 and Sakura's ANBU guard _**coughscoughs** Sasuke **coughscoughs**_) seemed to have quieted for a moment of silence.

Then Tsunade looked up at the ninja in the room with eyes filled with determination; Shizune's death behind her. "Uzumaki Naruto! Hyuga Hinata! Nara Shikamaru! Inuzuka Kiba! And Haruno Sakura! With Shikamaru as your captain, your mission is to retrieve Yamanaka Ino and capture her assailants! This will be a B-rank mission, and you have less than three days to complete it! The rest of Konoha 11 will stay behind and, if need be, will be called as back up!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

"But why _three days_?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, why does this mission have a time limit unlike all the others?" Naruto seconded that.

"I believe you'd all would like to attend Shizune's funeral, wouldn't you?" Tsunade asked, her eyes showing a bit of sadness in them but then flickered back to strong willpower. "However, if you don't succeed in saving Ino, you will get a second chance or an extra few days, but I cannot postpone the funeral for long."

"_Ah_, don't worry, Obaachan!" Naruto grinned. "We'll get Ino back in less than two days flat!"

"_DON'T_—CALL—ME—O—BAA—CHAN!!!!" Tsunade screamed about ready to punch the living daylights out of the blonde knuckleheaded ninja. But she was held back by Sakura and Tenten, who were both yelling, "RESTRAIN YOUSELF! HE'S NOT WORTH IT! RESTRAIN YOUSELF!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Hm... I wonder what Pinkie plans on doing… Her mind is a lot more complicated than Sasuke's whose just bent on revenge but she's, like, really . . . _whoa_."

"Anoo… '_Whoa'_ is not even a correct term to describe something with." Juugo said. "But I agree with you that Sakura-san is very creative with her plans."

"Ugh! You guys are, like, completely _betraying_ Sasuke-kun here! Siding with that pink-haired brat instead of him!" Karin crossed her arms.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking." Suigetsu yawned. "Hey, do you think Sakura would get mad if I take just a _little_ break?"

Karin and Juugo just looked at him then at each other and then back at the swordsman and said, "Not Sakura but Sasuke."

"Yeah, I guess you guys are right." the ex-Kirigakure nin stretched out his arms and stood up from his seat. "And I definitely don't want Mr. I-Want-Revenge on my case. Anyway, Karin, did you finish your job?"

Said red-hair just scoffed. "Well, no duh! How could I forget to do my _only_ job?"

"Well, I wouldn't know about that since you're the only one here with a peanut-sized brain…"

"Ha! Speak for yourself! If anyone around here is really _that_ stupid, it'd be _you_."

"You bitch, you don't know when to stop."

"Oh, _really_? I don't see you doing anything about it, fish-boy!"

"That's it! Today's the day I _slaughter_ you!"

"Bring it on, mother-fucker!"

"I think you two should quiet it down…" Juugo suggested. "Yamanaka-san is still asleep."

Suigetsu and Karin just stared at the spiky-haired nin who seemed oblivious to what he did wrong.

"_What_?" he asked.

"Juugo, Juugo, Juugo…" Suigetsu said, shaking his head. "You don't call the hostage by her name nor do you add an honorific at the end of her name. It's just not _right_, and it shows weakness. Plus, it's not correct. When a hostage thinks about her captors, she usually thinks they're evil and mean people—_not_ nice and likable people."

"And besides, it takes three whole days for a human to turn into a chiropteran unless they've been injected with Delta 67[1]." Karin explained as she turned to glance at Ino who they had rested against a tree. "That girl won't awake up until she's completely Chiropteran. However, if you wake her up earlier than that, she'll go on a rampage and destroy _everything_ in her path—allies and enemies alike."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"I want you to tell me the truth, Sakura." Tsunade had dismissed the rest of Konoha 11 except for her apprentice who she needed to speak to. Lately, things had not been going well at all between Konoha 11. Even the jonin were dragged into this problem. And Tsunade wanted the problem fixed . . . _now_.

"What really happened during that fight? Shikamaru, Neji, and Shino all seem to have their doubts about you. Can you tell me why exactly?"

". . . I believe . . . it's because of my origins or it could be because of my failed attempt to assassinate Sasuke."

Tsunade nodded her head. "Yes, that makes sense…" she sighed. "If Shizune were here, she'd give you much better advice than I could ever give you at this point. Both your father and former crush are international criminals, wanted because of their crimes, and you also hail from their clan—just with different roots and background." She looked up at her apprentice, feeling sorry for the teenager. "This must be hard for you . . . especially with all that's going on right now… If I could, I'd help you, but . . . I'm afraid that, this time, I'm as helpless as a fly."

Sakura giggled. "You sound like a worry-wart mother, Tsunade-shisou. Daijōbu, I assure you I'm fine."

"That's good to know." Tsunade rested a hand on Sakura's shoulders. "I've been so worried about you. I heard you fainted a couple of times. Do you feel sick?"

"No, why?"

"You just seem to be more tired nowadays, and you seem so much paler."

"Daijōbu," the pink-haired kunoichi said, flashing a smile. "I'm just stressed out. There's _nothing_ to worry about."

"I really wish that were true, Sakura." The Hokage walked back to her desk and sat in her seat, sorting out a pile of papers. "If everything was as easy as I wanted it to be then there'd be no problems at all."

"Tsunade-shisou, don't think like that. If everything were to unfold as easily as you think, what fun would there be in life?"

The Legendary Sucker chuckled. "Well, I guess that _is_ true. Who told you that?"

"My mom--I mean, Hibiya Chitose-san." Sakura scratched her arm nervously.

"Sakura, the lady practically raised you as her own daughter." Konoha's Slug Princess said. "Anyone would understand it if you made the mistake of calling her _'mom_.' And besides, you only found out she wasn't your mom only—_what_? Maybe a _month_ ago? If you still call her mom, it's understandable. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

The pink-haired medical-nin forced a smile. "I-I know… I just . . ." Unable to come up with an excuse, she pointed at the door. "I'll be leaving now…"

"Just a sec, Sakura."

And the kunoichi stopped in her tracks.

"Just one more question… Do you still _love_ Uchiha Sasuke?"

That was unexpected, at least for Sakura. Her mentor had never asked a question like that before, so what was she supposed to say?

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

"Neji, why did you say all that right in front of Lady Tsunade?" Lee asked. "You _know_ Sakura is like a daughter to her. If anyone does or says anything against her, Tsunade-sama _will_ go after them."

"Yeah, and I think you just made her hit-list, Neji." Kiba added. "Shikamaru and Shino, too."

"It doesn't matter." Neji said. "The Hokage _needs_ to hear the _facts_. It'll prepare her for the worst."

"And the worst would _be_..?" Tenten asked.

"That Sakura turns out to be the traitor everyone is looking for." Shino answered.

Hinata and Tenten gasped.

"You're not serious! Sakura wouldn't betray us! There's _no way_!" And Akamaru barked in agreement with Kiba.

"Oh, come on, Kiba. You and Akamaru _must have_ noticed _something_ strange as well." Shikamaru said. "Didn't you smell anything _off_ about Sakura's story?"

"Well . . . actually..." Kiba scratched his head. "I actually found it weird that Sasuke's scent was all over Sakura and her ANBU guard, but I thought it wasn't weird at the time because they _were_ fighting with him, after all."

"That means _nothing_." Sai said. "_You_ weren't there,"—he pointed at Kiba—"_You_ weren't there,"—he pointed at Neji—"_You_ weren't there,"—he pointed at Shino—"_You_ weren't there,"—he pointed at Shikamaru and then he pointed at himself—"_I_ wasn't there,"—he stretched out his arms to show that he meant everyone—"_None_ of us were there! Only Sakura, her ANBU guard, Ino, and Team Hebi were there! Right now, we can't exactly count on _Team Hebi's_ or _Sakura's_ account on what happened. And we certainly can't count on the _ANBU_ telling us what happened. We can only wait until we get Ino back to know what truly happened."

"Sai's right!" Hinata exclaimed. "You guys ought to be a-a-ashamed of yourselves t-t-t-o point your fingers at Sakura that quickly! R-R-Right, Naruto?"

But Naruto didn't say anything on the matter. He just wanted to forget that both Sakura and Ino were dragged into this whole ordeal—the one that he could've _prevented_ if he had stopped Sasuke from going to Orochimaru. "I wonder what Lady Tsunade wanted to say to Sakura," he said. "Do you think it's anything important?"

"Probably or maybe not," Choji answered, munching down on another bag of chips. "I mean, think about it. Lady Tsunade has just lost Shizune. She's probably just telling Sakura to be careful on this mission or something like that. Like Shizune, Sakura's like a daughter to her. If she loses Sakura then she'll have _nothing_—well, except for the village but I doubt it'll be the same for her ever again."—he munched on another chip—"You guys better make sure Sakura returns to the village alive and in one piece or Tsunade will be a wreck."

_That's what I'm worried about, _Shikamaru thought. _Sakura's so close to the Hokage that she's almost like her daughter. If Sakura _does_ turn out to be the traitor then we've got a _big_ problem on our hands._

"Ah, don't worry, Choji!" Naruto smiled. "I'll make sure Sakura comes back! _Believe it_!"

"Na-Na-Naruto-kun, don't make it sound like you're the only one going on this mission…" Hinata murmured.

"_Oro_? What was that, Hinata?" Naruto asked as he walked closer to the now-blushing Hyuga heir.

"Oh, n-n-n-nothing, noth-th-thing . . . Na-Na-Naruto-kun."

"Oy, Naruto! You _better_ bring Sakura home alive or me and Temari will beat the living _shit_ out of you!" Tenten threatened, showing her fist.

"Hey, have I ever broken a promise before? I'll have Sakura safe at home in no time flat, no problem at all! _Believe it_!" And with that, Naruto flashed them a thumbs-up.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Kakashi, why do you believe that Sakura had something to do with Shizune's death? It's not like you to just rush into things without thinking first. Did something happen?"

"No, I just followed my gut."

Gai just sat there, a little surprised. _He_ was the one who usually followed his gut, not Kakashi who always thought things through.

"I know Sakura had something to do with Shizune's death. I'm _sure_ of it."

Gai didn't say anything and just listened. He knew Kakashi well—_very_ well, actually—and he knew that Shizune's death had hit Kakashi as an unexpected tragedy. It wasn't everyday that you'd lose your lover, let alone a follow shinobi.

"Sakura had a hand in Shizune's death but, as her former sensei, I don't believe she has the ability or persona to actually go through with it. I believe she sent The Foundation to finish Shizune off while she took care of coming up with an alias."

"That could be a possibility but, Kakashi, what do you plan on doing if Sakura really _did_ kill Shizune? She was your student once long ago."

"It doesn't matter if she used to be my student or not. If she turns out to be Shizune's assassin, I'll _kill_ her… I kill her with my own two hands!" And with his right hand, he crushed a walnut into tiny bits and pieces.

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

"Well, _do you_, Sakura?"

Sakura was hesitant for a few brief moments, but then she nodded her head and gave a firm "Yes."

Tsunade just stared at her student in shock and with disbelief.

"Gomennasai, Tsunade-shisou, but I've loved him since even before our days in Team 7. _Nothing_ will change that, and nothing will change how I feel about him. I'll love that cold, heartless bastard till death. I know it's stupid, but I love him, and there's _nothing_ I—or anyone else, for that matter—can do. I'll love him, no matter what he does, and I don't care if I'm the only who still does."

* * *

**Obaachan = grandma**

**[1] = a substance from _Blood+_. Through human experimentation with Diva's (or in my fanfiction's case, Sakura's) blood, a substance called "Delta 67" was created. When "Delta 67" is introduced into the blood stream of humans, they change into chiropterans.**

**Yay, chapter done! Also, I know it doesn't take people three whole days to turn into chiropteran, but that how it's going to go in my story. Oh, and about the mini-story, yeah, it's not coming up for a while. I don't know how I'll do it, but it will come up in this story in the future but not soon. Sorry, but I'll continue to work on it. The problems I'm having are how Sasuke and Sakura meets and all the fighting scenes with Danzo and other people so, yeah, sorry. Please continue to read my story, and I'm sorry if it's going a little crappy for your taste.**

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**POLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Would you guys be okay with it if I added Chii and Freya from _Chobits_ into my fanfiction? And would you be okay with it if I gave Sakura a younger sister, like maybe a four-year-old or something?**

**Also, would you want Sasuke to go on the mission, too (since he's supposed to be protecting Sakura from "danger" and everything)?**

**Oh, and would you want Gaara and his siblings to come in at the last minute and save Naruto and the others on this mission?**

**And if the group that's going on the mission were to split up, which groups do you want them to split up into?**


	11. Chapter 11: Go Figure

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

* * *

**Yes! Chapter's up! I'm sorry if I made you all wait so long. Oh, and I got an idea of how Sasuke and Sakura could meet, so the mini-story will be coming soon. It probably won't be the next chapter, but it'll come soon (maybe after the twentieth chapter). Sorry if I'm making you all wait for the explanation of how everything came to be in my fanfiction, but things shall be explained in time. The chapter's named after Everlife's Go Figure from the movie of the same title. Please enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Go Figure

As Ino's rescue team jumped through the trees, there was an eerie silence between them all. It wasn't because they _weren't_ friends—heck, they hang out with each other almost _every_ day—so perhaps it was because of the formation, or at least that's what Sakura kept telling herself.

They were lined up in almost the exact same way as Team Shikamaru[1] was when they were trying to stop Sasuke from going to Orochimaru: 1) Kiba and Akamaru, who would track Ino's scent and check out the enemies' scent to evade any traps as they have the most familiarity with the Land of Fire's terrain. 2) Shikamaru, who would be able to give orders quickly based on how the situations unfolded. 3) Naruto, who's got quick reactions and the Shadow Clone Technique to aid the front or the rear in case of an emergency. 4) Sakura, being the strongest in the group, would be the final blow after a surprise attack. And 5) Hinata, who would take care of the rear thanks to the Byakugan, and she would be watching the back and taking care of any blind spots in the formation.

And so, they were in a line of _some_what, a few yards away from the person in front of and behind them except for Sakura and Hinata whom Shikamaru (and his _sexist_ ways) believed should stay closer together in case of a surprise attack from the enemy. Thus, this left the girls watching the guys' backs. They would chat every now and then, already much more than the boys did, but their conversation ended in less than five minutes. Now, _that_ was just sad. The mission had been going on for about six to seven hours already—they were probably really close to the border of the Land of Fire by now, and soon they would be in Oto territory. For girls not to talk to each for _that_ long, can you spell out _torture_!? That and the fact they were going into Oto was _Trouble_ with a capital "T."

And even though she hadn't step foot in that place for a while already, Sakura could still vividly remember every single moment she had in that unknown land. Those memories still made her shudder, and those memories still gave her nightmares. No matter how strong she got, those fears still lived with her _every_ day.

"Sakura-chan, daijōbu desu ka? Is something wrong?"

Hinata's gentle voice spooked Sakura out of her thoughts, causing her to face the Hyuga heir. She shook her head. "I was just . . . just spacing out, Hinata. No need to worry!" But as she took another step, her vision blurred, and she slid off of the branch.

"_Sakura_!" Hinata tried to reach out for her friend but missed by a couple of inches.

Fortunately, before Sakura hit the ground, Naruto caught her in time. "Sakura…" He put a hand to her sweaty forehead. "She's burning up!"

In a split second, the rest of the group stood around them; Hinata kneeling right besides Sakura. "Daijōbu, it's just a little fever." the Hyuga heir said, after feeling Sakura's forehead. "She'll be fine after a bit of rest."

"It's fine, Hinata…" Sakura coughed. "We have to get to Ino first…"

"But, Sakura--" Naruto was about to protest against his teammate but was interrupted.

"No, we shall rest for now." Shikamaru spoke. "With Sakura in this condition, we can't possibly go on. We'll rest, and we'll set out again at dawn."

"But--"

"No, buts, Sakura!" Naruto snapped. "You're _sick_! You _need_ to rest! And by Jove, you're _gonna_ rest even if it means I have to _tie_ you up like you did to me whenever _I _was sick!"

Sakura just looked at the blonde's face and nodded. But carefully, cautiously, and unnoticed by everyone except Shikamaru, her eyes drifted to the team leader's disappointed gaze. It was almost as if Shikamaru was telling her "_I _know_ you had something to do with Ino's disappearance. Don't think you have free reign here_," just with his glaring eyes.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at that, but she didn't do anything else as not to draw any other suspicions onto herself.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Tsunade just sat in her office, thinking back to the events that just happened. Everything was happening all so quickly. She could barely keep up. Perhaps it was because she had been in a coma, and she hadn't quite returned to normal. She doubted if she could ever. With everything that had happened, she really couldn't go back to being the Tsunade she was before her coma. Too much had changed…

_Before two of the ninja uncovered the body, they asked her to "Please identify the deceased." But once they pulled off the cover, Tsunade's eyes immediately widened, and tears formed._

_"Shi... Sh-Sh-Sh-Shizune…" she said, her voice was feeble and quiet. "What . . . what are you doing here? What happened to you?" She caressed her assistant's cold cheek, and a tear dropped onto the ebony-haired woman's face. "_Why_ . . ?" she asked. "Why are you so cold?"_

_Tsunade shook her head. "No, Shizune…" she cried. "Open your eyes! It's _me_, Tsunade. I'm right here. I'm right here… _Please_! Open your eyes!" Tsunade pleaded with the dead girl. "Please don't go! Don't leave me behind!" Her tears flowed out of her eyes, almost as if they were rivers. And for once, the strong Hokage seemed helpless._

_"How could this have happened!? Huh!? How could you be _dead_!?!" she asked of no one. "Wake up! Please! I'll . . . I'll treat you better. Please wake up! Shizune… I'm sorry for making you feel lonely… I'm sorry…" Tsunade fell to her knees as she tried to shake her assistant awake. "Please get up… Please! Open your eyes! Shizune! Shizune… Please don't leave without me… Please get up. I said_ get up_! Get up! Get up,_ get up_, GET UP!!!" She almost screamed._

_"Shizune… I promised your uncle I'd take care of you… I promised him that you wouldn't follow him… Not this early… Please… You can't leave now… You can't… You can't leave… Shizune… You can't leave… You can't… Shizune… Please wake up… Shizune…"_

_"Shizune, please!! Open your eyes!!! Open your eyes…" Tsunade's voice trailed off as her cries became loud and uncontainable. "Shizune… Shizune…"_

With Shizune's death, she had almost completely lost her trust and beliefs in other people.

_"Why do we have to go through this much sorrow? Why must we keep losing dear beloved ones?" Sakura asked of no one in particular. "Perhaps it's because of my origins…" she said after a long while of silence._

_"But still, Sakura… You and Shizune are my students. I should have protected her much more better." the Hokage's gaze flashed towards the cherry blossom. "I can't afford the same mistake with you, Sakura… You're the only one I have left…"_

_Sakura nodded her head as she felt her mentor's weak grip on her hand. "Tsunade-shisou…"_

_"Sakura, you should go home and rest." Tsunade stroked the kunoichi's hand. "I'll assign the rest of Konoha 11 to protect you later today. I _promise_, you won't end up like Shizune… I'll make sure of it even if it costs me my life."_

_"Tsunade-shisou, don't say that." Sakura murmured. "It hurts me to hear you say that…"_

But for the sake of her remaining pupil, she stayed strong, and she continued to live through every difficult day.

_"What are you saying? What do you mean Kakashi _attacked_ Sakura!?"_

_"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Genma said to the Hokage who was now back in her office but still in mourn. "He blamed Haruno-san for Lady Shizune's death. And if the Konoha 11 hadn't shown up, Sakura would've been dead."_

_"Was there any clear reason?"_

_"No, Lady Tsunade, but Kakashi wouldn't attack his former student without a reason." Gai explained._

_"Lady Tsunade," Kurenai spoke, "Kakashi was so agitated that we couldn't even get through to him. It took Shikamaru and both Neji and Hinata to stop him, not to mention the ANBU squad that protected Sakura."_

_"But are you sure that Sakura had nothing to do with it?" Gai asked. "Maybe Shizune had discovered something about Madara's plan, and the Uchiha asked Sakura to finish her off."_

_"I'm sure that's not the reason!" Kurenai snapped. "Sakura has a whole ANBU squad watching over her! There's no way she would've been able to do such a thing!" The kunoichi turned to the Hokage. "Lady Tsunade, Konoha ninja are after The Foundation agents. Once they are captured, the truth will be revealed. Sakura is most definitely innocent."_

_Tsunade nodded her head, thankful that everyone would stop condemning her student. "Who is with Kakashi at this moment?" she asked after a few silence minutes._

_"Naruto, Yamato, and Sai." Genma answered._

_The elderly lady nodded her head once again. "Good…"_

And because she loved her apprentice, she protected her by making sure Hatake Kakashi was watched at all times.

_"Just one more question… Do you still love Uchiha Sasuke? Well,_ do you_, Sakura?"_

_Sakura was hesitant for a few brief moments, but then she nodded her head and gave a firm "Yes."_

_Tsunade just stared at her student in shock and with disbelief._

_"Gomennasai, Tsunade-shisou, but I've loved him since even before our days in Team 7. _Nothing_ will change that, and nothing will change how I feel about him. I'll love that cold, heartless bastard till death. I know it's stupid, but I love him, and there's _nothing_ I—or anyone else, for that matter—can do. I'll love him, no matter what he does, and I don't care if I'm the only who still does."_

But she couldn't protect the one her apprentice loved. Of all people, why did her apprentice _have_ to love the one that was bent on revenge? Why couldn't she choose someone _easy_? Someone like . . . well, not Rock Lee. No, he was just too creepy and _youthful_-looking. There was always . . . no, Naruto was with Hinata now, and actually Tsunade was _glad_ her apprentice didn't end up with the knucklehead who loved ramen way too much. Neji was just too serious, Shikamaru was just too much of a know-it-all, and Kiba . . . well, he was a _dog _(let's face facts people). And Shino . . . _ew_, who wanted to be stuck with a _bug_-loving person? (Not that people who love insects are creepy or anything, it's just that Shino had bugs living _inside_ him. Now, _that_ was gross.)

The Hokage groaned as she faced the facts. And facing facts, the only person she would've approved of _was_ the Uchiha boy. _Oh, the irony of it all… How _will_ my apprentice survive in this so complicated world?_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Ugh! I am so _bored_!!" Suigetsu whined. "When is Pinkie going to launch her plan into action, eh!? I'm so _sick_ of waiting every single minute of my oh-so-wonderfully-getting-closer-to-death life!"

Karin groaned. "Oh, just be _quiet_, will ya?" _Of all people, why must I _always_ be stuck with _him_!? Does Kami-sama hate me or something!? _(mistressinwaiting: Well, I know _I_ do, not so sure about Kami-sama though.) "Juugo, tell him to shut up!"

"_Hora_, _hora_…" a mellifluous and impassive voice said. The heavy-lidded eye guy with the short red hair came into view, not hidden in his puppet anymore. "If Kuruizaki was able to kill me once then she's capable of accomplishing much more than you think."

"Oh, come on! She's just a _girl_!" Suigetsu complained, receiving a "Hey!" from Karin.

"But didn't you know?" the new-guy asked. "Women have to be strong in order to survive."

All was silence for a while.

"_What_?"

"Isn't that..?" Juugo was about to ask but changed his mind.

"Yes… It's one of Sakura-san's quotes."

"Oh, my Kami!" Suigetsu exclaimed, pretending to be oh-so-scared. "Sasori just _stole_ one of Pinkie's quotes! Everyone! Run to the hills!"

"No one needs to do _that_." Karin growled. Then she turned to the Akatsuki member. "Thanks for sticking up for the kunoichi. I'll remember to tell Sakura that. Maybe if she hears that you've stood up for her, she'll treat you better."

"Nah…" Sasori declined that offer. "She's already too nice to me. I don't need another one of her millions of thanks."

"Oy, if she _is_ that nice to you, you should take advantage of that." Suigetsu suggested, an idea coming into his head.

"What do you mean?" Juugo and Sasori asked while Karin just covered her ears and screamed, "I'M _NOT_ PART OF THIS!! I'M NOT PART OF THIS!! LALALA!!"

"Look, we all know that Sasuke is . . . well, he's an ice-cube, right?"

Everyone nodded at that; even Karin who didn't _want_ to listen nodded her head.

"Well . . . what if we were about to get him _jealous_?"

At that point, everyone turned their backs on the ex-Kiri nin and started their own conversations.

"Hey! Why aren't you guys _listening_?"

"_Because_!" Karin turned back to glare at the Hozuki«(Suigetsu's last name if you guys don't know that). "If he _does_ get jealous, he might take his anger out on _us_! Remember: he's _The Avenger_! And actually, I don't want to be the target of his revenge. Secondly, once he finds out that it was _your_ plan, you're as good as dead. And I don't associate myself with the soon-to-be departed."

"Oh, come on, Karin! _Live_ for once!" the swordsman cried.

"I don't think _living_ means _dieing_!!" the red-haired kunoichi screamed.

"Will you guys _please_ be quiet?" Juugo asked.

"Actually, it's not a bad idea." Another Akatsuki member came into the conversation.

"What do you mean, Madara?" Sasori asked. "Surely, you don't mean to--"

"Yes, actually." the Uchiha chuckled. "I want to see how devoted Sasuke is to my daughter and whether or not he has what it takes to receive my blessings."

* * *

**Oto = Sound (as in Sound Village [Otogakure] or Land of Sound)**

**[1] = When Sasuke Uchiha defects from Konoha in the midst of drop in manpower from the failed invasion of Konoha, Tsunade tasks Shikamaru his first mission of assembling a team of Genin to track down and retrieve Sasuke. The team exists solely during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, and receives backup from Rock Lee and the Sand Siblings at different points. (In short, this is the team which consisted of Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and Akamaru, and Neji.)**

**Oh and, when Naruto said "By Jove," I'm sorry for that. But I couldn't come up with something to replace that and, in school, we were reading a story that was in British-English, so I'm kind of stuck on British terms now. Please don't hate me.**

**I'm sorry if this chapter's crappy since you guys wanted so long, but I ran dry of ideas for this chapter. The reason why Sasori (as well as the rest of the Akatsuki) came back to life is still in progress, meaning I haven't decided yet what I'll do for it. Sorry… Please review and continue to read my fanfiction!**

**(Oh, and for my other fanfiction _Passion_, the next chapter might came out next week or something. Thanks for being so patient!)**


	12. Chapter 12: Hex Girl

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

* * *

**Yes! Another chapter up! It's kind of short (really short, sorry), but I'm working on another fanfiction; well, actually, two other fanfictions. Please read them if you have the chance. Anyway, the mini-story might come after the next chapter, but it depends if I have a change of mind about the plot. Anyhow, this chapter is named after the song and band from Scooby-Doo. (The song's called "I'm a Hex Girl" by the Hex Girls.) Please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Hex Girl

It was still dark when Sakura woke up. She was groggy, not from drowsiness but from acting for such a long time. She had _no idea_ how hard it'd be just to act sick especially with another medical-nin around. Hinata was just a newbie at it, but she knew the signs of illnesses. If she were to become suspicious then Sakura's whole plan would just shatter into pieces.

The pink-haired kunoichi closed her eyes. She stretched out her arms and cautiously sat up, carefully examining her surroundings. The rest of the group was sound asleep.

She smirked. _Good… Then _this_ should be easy._ She made a hand seal, and her clone came out of a cloud of cherry blossoms. Sakura jumped out of her bed, and her clone got in, resuming Sakura's slumber. With that taken care of, Sakura jumped into the forest. But unknown to her, the Hyuga heir had seen _everything_.

✿｡.:**.:｡✿

In a few moments, Sakura was in a clearing, far from the group's rest stop. There was a deer there but, when it caught whiff of the kunoichi, it fled the area. Sakura couldn't help but grimace at that.

There was no sound to warn her. Out of nowhere, Sasuke's hand stroked against her pink hair. "I trust you got here safely and with_out_ a problem."

"Naturally." She turned around to face the Uchiha. But, of course, she had to lift her head up just a little since Sasuke was seven centimeters taller than her. "Since when have you been taller than me?"

"Since you haven't been paying attention for the last three years."

"Hey, you _can't_ blame _me_. I haven't really stood next to you in a really long time. How was I supposed to know you were taller than me?"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Must we talk about this _now_?"

"Well…" Sakura pretended to think about it for a moment. "Nope. Not really… Anoo . . . did you check up on your team and Ino yet?"

"Just on my way."

"Then why'd ya stop?"

"To check up on you." Sasuke answered. "You're supposed to be with Ino's rescue team right now. Once they find out that you're gone, they'll grow suspicious of you—well, Naruto will just go berserk but the rest won't. They're a smart bunch. They'll put the pieces together."

"Yes . . . but have you forgotten how _good_ an actress I am?" the kunoichi asked. "Why, I've even got Kakashi to believe that I've let my guard down when I actually _didn't_, and I actually managed to trick that whole rescue team into thinking that I'm sick. Now what do you say to _that_? Hm?"

"That you're really sick."

"You're _unbelievable_!" Sakura practically screamed. "You just don't like the fact that I'm actually _better_ than you at something!" She gasped. "That's _it_, isn't it!?"

The Uchiha groaned, rolling his eyes. For some reason, Sakura had these . . . mood swings, as Madara called it. And every time she was in a ranting mood, she sounded _so much_ like _Naruto_. And so, Sasuke _knew_ he wasn't going to hear the end of it anytime soon.

"You used to be the best at _everything_ but, now that I've found something I'm actually good at, you just--"

"I think it's best if you continue that conversation someplace else." a cold and impassive voice said from out of the blue.

"Sasori-niichan!" Sakura's face practically lit up when she saw the red-haired Akatsuki member. "What are you doing here?"

"Why," he smiled and walked over to the kunoichi, patting her on the head. "I'm here to check on my _favorite_ little kunoichi and see how she's doing."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Hm . . . I don't trust you."

"You don't? But _why_?"

_Oh Kami, is he _whining_ and _pouting_? Oh Kami, I thought I'd never see the day. _"Well . . . first of all, I know for a fact that I'm _not_ your _'favorite little kunoichi'_ because 1) I beat ya and 2) I killed ya."

"Yeah, yeah. You don't have to rub it in, you know." the puppet master grumbled.

"And secondly, you're not _worried_ about me. You just came here to _spy_ on me for my dad!" the kunoichi accused the Akatsuki member.

"No, I'm not."

"Don't lie to me or I'll kick your ass all the way back down to Hell!"

"But-but--"

"Oh, don't you '_but'_ me, _Mr._ _Emo-Ass_! Or I'll have my dad turn you back into dust and bones!"

Sasori opened his mouth to say something but decided not to. "_Anyway_ . . . your dad wants a mission report."

"Eh? _M-M-Mission report_?" Sakura asked, completely confused. She turned to Sasuke for help, but he just stared back at her and sighed.

"_Please_ tell me you know how to give a mission report."

"Well . . . I never really _had_ to give them to Tsunade before, so… Eh-heh-heh…"

Resisting the urge to whack the pink-haired kunoichi, the Uchiha gave the report instead. "Sakura has completely fooled Konoha 11 and the Hokage. Not only do they think Shizune's death is The Foundation's doing, but the test subjects don't even know that they've been exposed to Delta 67."

"_Test subjects_?" Sakura asked. "You went behind my back and tested on _humans_!?! I _thought_ I made myself _clear_! I DON'T WANT YOU _TESTING_ ON ANY _HUMANS_!!"

"Relax, Saki." Sasori said. "We only tested on those who have no chance of living, and the drug doesn't even take effect until _after_ they die."

"So . . . you're going to _desecrate_ the _dead_!?" the kunoichi asked. "That's low even for the Akatsuki."

Sasori shrugged. "People have done worse. Plus, the drug increases the victim's strength and stamina. In essence, before the victim dies, they can live their last days to their extent. They'll die happily, something they'd never get if we didn't introduce them to the drug."

"But still…"

"Sakura, maybe it's time for you to head back to Naruto and the others." Sasuke suggested although he didn't want the kunoichi to spend anymore time with the influential knucklehead. Heaven _forbid_ she'd start eating _only_ ramen. "It's almost dawn anyway. If they find that you're not there, they'll grow suspicious."

"Nah, I still got plenty of time . . ."—then the kunoichi's eyes shifted to a nearby tree—"I've got another thing to do before I leave, and _that's_ . . ." She took out a kunai and threw it. It hit the tree, and out of the smoke _poof_ed out Hinata; the kunai gouged deep into her arm. "To exterminate the eavesdropping Hyuga _brat_!"

* * *

**Ooh… Another Konoha kunoichi has made her way into the merciless hands of Haruno Sakura… What's going to happen? Please stay tune to find out!**

**(Oh, and check out my YouTube video. I've got the link on my profile. The AMV is supposed to be like my own Naruto opening/ending kind of thing. Please comment and tell me how you like it.)**


	13. Chapter 13: End Roll

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

* * *

**Yes! Chapter up! But it stinks! (I might re-do this one, okay? So suggestions are valuable at this point!) Don't worry, the mini-story's coming up next! And it's going to be good! The chapter's named after Ayumi Hamasaki's _End Roll_.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

End Roll

"So, how long do we have to wait again?" Suigetsu asked for maybe the hundredth time.

"FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES!" Karin answered, completely annoyed with the shinobi. "Jeez! When will you_ shut up_?"

Madara slapped himself. "Why did I trust you guys with my daughter again?"

"Because . . ." Juugo said. "Uchihas are prone to idiots and bitches."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Well, I got to say . . . _that_ was fairly easy…" Sakura said while dusting off her outfit. "I never thought that a _Hyuga_ would be _that_ easy to beat . . . especially the heir." She smirked at the defeated Hinata who she had tied against a tree. "Maybe your father was right, Hinata. Maybe Hanabi would be a better heiress than you would ever be…" She chuckled. "Oh, come now, Hinata… Don't look at me like that with those spiteful eyes of yours…"

Hinata ignored that comment and continued to glare at the Haruno. "Haruno Sakura . . . or rather, Kuruizaki Karai, is this your _true_ face?" she asked.

"So that's how it'll be, will it? Then, I have no intention"—Sakura's smirk disappeared, and she kicked Hinata in the stomach—"of holding back!"

The Hyuga withstood the blow, but it was hard for her _not_ to cough up blood.

"Stop it, Sakura." Sasuke's arms wrapped around the kunoichi's waist, preventing her from doing anything too harsh. "You wouldn't want the Hyuga clan to be on your case while you still have Kakashi to get rid of, would you?"

". . . It won't matter," the cherry blossom said, combing back her hair; her eyes shifting back to Hinata. "She and I will just go back to being friends . . . once I erase her memories, that is." Then, she turned to speak to the captive Hyuga. "So you better ask all your questions now, Hinata, while you still have the chance."

"I have nothing to say to a _traitor_ like you…" Hinata snarled.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. Her glare was even more intimidating than her inhuman strength. "I'd watch it if I were you… A vampire's true self is extremely savage and cruel."

"And if I were you, I'd re-_think_ my actions and ask the gods for forgiveness."

"Come again?"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Kakashi, I _have_ to know: why did you attack my apprentice?" Tsunade asked. "Why must you try to take away the only person I have left? _WHY_? Do you feel _content_ seeing me suffer?"

"No, it's not like that, Hokage-sama."

"Then what _is_ it _like_?" Tsunade asked. "You're going after _my_ apprentice, _accusing_ her of _killing_ my assistant! How could you ask me to stay out of it?"

"Hokage-sama, please calm down."

"NO! I _WON'T_ CALM DOWN UNTIL YOU _TELL ME_ WHAT'S GOING ON!" Tsunade screamed. "NOW _ANSWER_ ME: ARE YOU JUST GOING AFTER SAKURA BECAUSE SHE'S _MADARA'S_ _DAUGHTER_? OR IS THERE ANOTHER REASON?"

Kakashi didn't answer, looking away from the desolate Hokage.

"_TELL ME_!" she demanded.

"Tsunade-sama, it's best if you stay out of it until I get to the bottom of Shizune's murder."

"Nani wo shite iru no desu ka? We already went _through_ this! The Foundation shinobi are the ones who killed her!" Tsunade said. "They even _confessed_ to their crimes! Now, you tell me: why would they confess to something they _didn't_ do?"

"I don't know, but I believe it's all part of Madara's plan."

"And pray tell, what _is_ this plan of his?" Tsunade couldn't believe her ears. "Kakashi, we have already foiled his plan to raise another ninja war, and we've already found out about his Moon Eye's Plan. There isn't a single detail we haven't overlooked. We know _all_ the details of his plans, and we've already begun to foil it. What _is_ it that you know that everyone else _doesn't_?"

Kakashi didn't answer. He just bowed his head and left the room, leaving a completely stressed-out Tsunade to deal with a horrible migraine. _Shizune…_ she thought. _What am I going to _do_..? What _should_ I do? What would you have done? Oh, Kami-sama, why did you take away the one person who has always been there for me? Must all you gods be _against_ me?_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Sakura, you're only being misguided!" Hinata pleaded. "If you only take a minute to open your eyes..!"

Sakura really didn't like the Hyuga heir right now. She really _didn't_. Why was Hinata making everything so _hard_ for her? Her plan was getting more and more complicated. If Hinata expected her to become loyal to Konoha again then the Hyuga just needed to wait. That was all… However, Sakura had a whole lot of things to do before then. There was no need to make things so complicated, more complicated than they already were.

Sakura was definitely getting frustrated. What would it take to shut the Hyuga brat up? And then an idea came to her. Not a nice one, but it'd do the job . . . for now.

"Hinata, what would you do," Sakura started, "if I told you that . . . _I _was the one . . . who killed Shizune?"

Hinata's eyes widened, and she felt as if all the strength in her body had been sucked out of her. "_What_? _What_ did you say?"

Sasori and Sasuke, too, had been surprised at Sakura's sudden statement.

"If . . . I said . . . I was Shizune's murderer, would you believe that . . . I've willingly betrayed you and Naruto?"

Hinata was quiet for a while and just stared at the pink-haired kunoichi, processing her words. ". . . I wouldn't believe you…" the Hyuga finally said; her voice was barely above a whisper, but it still managed to shock everyone there. "Sakura, I may not know _why_ you're doing this, but I know for a fact that you would _never_ be able to bring yourself to _kill_ Shizune—maybe harm and apologize afterwards, sure, but _never_ kill. I know you all too well for you to lie your way out of this."

"What makes you so sure that I'm _lying_?"

"Because . . . you're avoiding eye contact and you're a bit too stressed out about Shizune's death." Hinata answered. "Plus, the way you said you were Shizune's murderer suggested that you only _feel_ guilty that you weren't able to stop it, not that you're guilty of actually _committing_ the homicide."

_Smart girl…_ the Akatsuki member and Sasuke thought at the same time.

"So . . . are you saying that _nothing_ I do will persuade you?" Sakura asked.

"Unless you kill Ino then, yes, _nothing_ you do will persuade me that you killed Shizune." Hinata answered.

"Then I hope you sleep pleasantly," Sakura said; the world began to slow in Hinata's eyes. "Because you're not going to wake up remembering this conversation."

Then it was darkness around Hinata.

Looking down on her . . . _friend_, Sakura couldn't help but feel as though she had just killed an innocent lamb that just strayed into her lion's den. _How in the world did this problem get so out of hand?_

* * *

**Nani wo shite iru no desu ka = what are you talking about?**

**Again, I'm sorry that this chapter's crappy. The next chapter will be so much better except for the fact that I'm gonna skip a fighting scene. Thank you for understanding! Please continue to read.**


	14. Chapter 14: Step You

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

* * *

**Yes! _Finally_! The chapter's up! I'm _so_ sorry it took like forever to update this (I had to re-read some of this fanfiction), but here it is! The chapter's named after Ayumi Hamasaki's Step You, and I named it that because I wanted to name it "Fuck You," but "_Step_ You" was the name of the song, so . . . yeah… Please enjoy! Oh, and the chapter's starting with a recap from chapter thirteen.**

* * *

_"So . . . are you saying that _nothing_ I do will persuade you?" Sakura asked._

_"Unless you kill Ino then, yes, _nothing_ you do will persuade me that you killed Shizune." Hinata answered._

_"Then I hope you sleep pleasantly," Sakura said; the world began to slow in Hinata's eyes. "Because you're not going to wake up remembering this conversation."_

_Then it was darkness around Hinata._

_Looking down on her . . . _friend_, Sakura couldn't help but feel as though she had just killed an innocent lamb that just strayed into her lion's den._ How in the world did this problem get so out of hand?

Chapter Fourteen

Step You

"WHERE'S HINATA-CHAN?" a loud scream from a hyperactive ninja woke everyone in the campsite. "SHE COULDN'T HAVE DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR! OH KAMI-SAMA! NEJI'S GOING TO _KILL_ ME! HINATA-CHAN! COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE! _PLEASE_ COME _OUT_!"

"Naruto, will you _shut up_?"

Said ninja became quiet once he saw the pink-haired kunoichi's fury blaze in her eyes. "Gomennasai, Sakura-chan, but HINATA'S _MISSING_!"

"Yeah, we kind of figured _that_ out when we heard you yelling." Shikamaru yawned. "Are you _sure_ she didn't go to the bathroom or something?"

"Well…"

"Ugh, Naruto, you woke us up for _nothing_!" Sakura groaned. "I'm sure Hinata can take care of herself while she's on a bathroom break! Stop _babying_ her!"

"But Sakura, she's been gone for almost the whole _night_!"

Sakura's emerald eyes widened. "_Nani_?"

"Naruto, are you _sure_ it wasn't a couple of minutes ago?" Neji asked. "It _was_ dark until not so long ago."

"Yes, I'm _positively absolutely sure_ about this!" Naruto practically yelled. "Why don't you guys trust me?"

"Naruto, it's not that we _don't_ trust you." Sakura murmured. "It's just that-"

"Fine," Shikamaru said, interrupting the Haruno's sentence. "We'll go search for Hinata."

"_Really_?" Naruto asked while Sakura just sat there, wondering what made the smart-ass come to that decision.

"Yeah… It'll be too troublesome to wait around for her to come back if she's been gone as long as you said, so it'll probably be best if we meet up with her."

"_Alright_!" Naruto chuckled triumphantly. "Come on! Let's go, Sakura-chan!"

"Actually, Naruto," Neji said, raining on Naruto's parade. "You'll be coming with me, and Sakura will go with Shikamaru."

"_Oro_?" Naruto blinked his eyes a few times, his confusion clearly showing. "Nande?"

"Oh, just to change things up." Neji answered the confused shinobi. "Plus, Shikamaru's jutsu consist of using shadows. He'll be at a disadvantage since the sun's just come out. He'll need Sakura's help to cause a few distractions, so that he can use his jutsu to its fullest."

"_Oh_…" Naruto nodded his head, understanding now. "I guess _that's_ fine… Just as long as you guys aren't just trying to separate us because you doubt her loyalty-"

"Now . . . why would we do _that_?" Shikamaru asked, lazily.

"I'm just worried," Naruto retorted. "Plus, you can't _blame_ me since . . . well, with everything that's happened, I just don't want Sakura to be hurt again."

"Aw… That's sweet, Naruto, but I'll be fine." the kunoichi assured him. "Shikamaru _is_ one of our most trusted friends, after all. You know, he'd _never_ hurt me."

"Yeah… But still-"

"Naruto, I'll be _fine_." she reassured him. "Shikamaru will take care of me. I'll come back to you in one piece."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

As Shikamaru and Sakura traveled further away from Naruto and Neji, the mood seemed to have become suspenseful and dead in a way. Shikamaru was up front, and Sakura was left watching his backside; a few meters of distance in between them. It was quite boring, actually. But then, Shikamaru stopped and turned around to glower at the kunoichi.

Sakura scoffed. "Dou shita no, Shikamaru-_kun_?" When she added the honorific to her ally's name, her voice dripped with venom. "Sonna shikametsu menshi te?"

"Answer me _truthfully_, Sakura. Did you or did you _not_ have a hand in Shizune's death?"

Her questioning gaze turned into a hard glare. "Are you seriously _asking_ me that?" the kunoichi sneered. "All of the evidence pointed to The Foundation of which—may I remind you—that I'm _not_ and _never_ will be a part of. Why are you and Kakashi-sensei pointing fingers at _me_? Have you two gone _insane_? Or are you just accusing me because of my origins?"

"Sakura, it's not-"

"The man _abandoned_ me, Shikamaru, while I was just a mere _baby_!" Sakura virtually screamed. "Why would I want _anything_ to do with _HIM_?"

"Sakura, I'm just making sure-"

"Jeez, thanks for trusting me. Both you and Kakashi-sensei . . . I can't _believe_ you would turn on me like this… _What_? Is _Neji_ also part of your little group?"

"Sakura, try to understand. I-"

"No, I understand _completely_ what you're getting at. You three just _assumed_ I was helping Madara because his blood runs in my veins, didn't you? You think that I've betrayed all of my friends, my _family_, for some guy who completely _disowned_ me and has _nothing_ to do with me!"

"Sakura-"

"No,"—the enraged kunoichi wouldn't even _let _her friend speak—"you can stop _right there_ because I'm _through_ with this! I'm going home!"

"Sakura, please… Let me-"

"I hope you all find Hinata and Ino soon," the kunoichi said, bidding her farewells. "Because if they don't come back safe and sound then I'll become the murderer you three _think_ I am!"

"Sakura, wait!"

But it was too late. The kunoichi had already left.

✿｡.:*Meanwhile*:.｡✿

"Neji, how could you say _that_? Sakura would _never_ betray us!"

"Naruto, just look at this from my point of view for just a _second_." Neji pleaded with said shinobi. "Sakura is the only one who has had direct contact with Madara. For all we know, she could be-"

"_NO_!" Naruto yelled. "You're only saying this because she's his _daughter_! You're letting that cloud your judgment!"

"Naruto, if you would just _listen_-"

"You know what, Destiny-Boy? I don't have time to deal with this right now! Ino's been taken hostage, and Hinata's missing. Finding them is our first priority right now, so let's just forget about this for a minute and find them before something bad happens to them. Okay?"

Neji was about to answer, but then Shikamaru appeared at that moment—and to Naruto's consternation, with_out_ Sakura.

"Wh-where's Sakura?" he asked.

Shikamaru couldn't look Naruto in the eyes. "She . . . she went back to Konoha."

"_WHAT_? _WHAT_ DID YOU JUST SAY?"

* * *

**Damn! It's a short chapter! I thought it was a whole lot longer… Oh well, I guess I'll have to make the next one a bit longer then. Oh, and because I haven't updated in a while, here's a list of definitions to help jog your memory a bit.**

**Anoo = um…**

**Arigato = thank you**

**Baka = idiot**

**Daijōbu = don't worry**

**Daijōbu desu ka = are you alright?**

**Dou shita no = what's the matter?**

**Etto = let me see; well; errr...**

**Godaime = fifth (as in Godaime Hokage for "Fifth Hokage")**

**Hora = hey!**

**Itai = ow; ouch**

**Iwa = Rock (as in Hidden Stone Village [Iwagakure])**

**Kami = God**

**Kyaa = eek**

**Nande = why; what for; how; by what means?**

**Nani = what?**

**Nani wo shite iru no desu ka = what are you talking about?**

**Obaachan = grandma**

**Oro = huh?**

**Oto = Sound (as in Sound Village [Otogakure] or Land of Sound)**

**Shisou = master (as in teacher)**

**Sonna shikametsu menshi te = why are you grimacing like that?**

**So, yeah, most of my projects are done and so are my tests, so I'll have a whole lot of free time. But I'm sorry to say this, however . . . I still have this _huge_ project to do, and I have three other fanfictions to update, so I might not be able to update this one anytime soon… I'm sorry. But I think I'll be able to get it up by next week. So, if I take too long to update, just read my other fanfictions and review them please!**


	15. Chapter 15: Keeps Gettin' Better

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

* * *

**Yay! The chapter is up! Sorry to have made you guys wait so long, but I was updating my other fanfictions, so yeah… Sorry again. But please enjoy this chapter (which is named after Keeps Gettin' Better by Christina Aguilera; I have no idea why I named the chapter this. I think it's just because I finally updated.)**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Keeps Gettin' Better

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SAKURA WENT BACK TO KONOHA!?" Naruto asked of Shikamaru who couldn't look the hyperactive (and enraged) ninja in the eye. "SHE WAS JUST _FINE_ JUST A MINUTE AGO!! WHAT THE _HECK_ HAPPENED!?! WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER!?!"

"Naruto, calm down, would you?" Shikamaru beseeched him. "We're near enemy territory, and--"

"ENEMY TERRITORY MY ASS! WHAT DID YOU DO TO SAKURA-CHAN, HUH!?!?!?! WHY IS SHE GOING BACK _HOME_!?!"

"Well, that…" Shikamaru scratched his head, unable to think of a way to calm the enraged Naruto down. "I . . . and--There was no other choice…"

"'_NO OTHER CHOICE_'!?!" Naruto yelled. "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! YOU _CHOSE_ TO INTERROGATE SAKURA, AND YOU _KNEW_ THIS WOULD HAPPEN!"

"Naruto, think straight." Neji said, indifferently. "We're only doing this for the good of village."

"'_The good of the village_'? You know, you sound like the Elders." Naruto scoffed and then realized something. "Oh, I get it, so . . . you're saying you _agree_ with the Elders?" he asked the Hyuga prodigy and Nara genius. "You want to get _rid_ of Sakura?"

"Naruto--"

"You know _what_? Save it! Just save it! Sakura's already on her way back home, and we still need to save Hinata and Ino, so let's just go and--"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Naruto immediately recognized that scream. "SAKURA!!"

And so the Konoha nin followed the scream—sprint, rush, darted—to a small clearing, near the clearing where they had taken rest the night before. And even though they didn't know it, it was the same clearing in which Sakura and Hinata's little fight had taken place.

The Konoha nin masked their chakra, carefully inching closer to the clearing, hidden by the trees. Their eyes searched through the clearing. And soon their eyes came upon the blur of pink, and their ears heard the clashing of metal. In the next second, Sakura was in the middle of the clearing; kunai out in a defensive position, and her eyes rocketed through the clearing, a hint of fear in them.

Naruto was about to go help her and tell her there was nothing to fear, but Shikamaru and Neji both restrained him. To Naruto, it seemed as though they didn't want to help the kunoichi, but the ramen-loving ninja noticed then that there was a slight gash—one that could only be made by a sword; a kunai would have been too small—on Sakura's side. She was injured, and she was bleeding.

The injury only infuriated the jinchuuriki even more. He was about to shove both Neji and Shikamaru out of his way, but suddenly there was a blur, and behind Sakura stood the guy he had been chasing for the past three years. However, Naruto wasn't concerned about him for the moment. His teammate was in a whole lot of trouble, he realized.

"Sakura, look out!!"

The kunoichi heard Naruto's warning but turned around too late. The Uchiha stuck a syringe into her shoulder, and her legs gave in. Suddenly, the world began to slow in the kunoichi's mind.

Naruto was furious, but the two Konoha shinobi continued to hold him back. And as he struggled to free himself, he saw Sasuke pick Sakura up bridal-style but dismissed the fact, only to keep his eyes on his teammate. She wasn't unconscious, he realized; her eyes were open but hazed and unfocused.

"Damn that heartless bastard!" Naruto cursed, his voice a whisper. "I'll _kill_ him if he does _anything_ to her!"

"Naruto, be quiet!" Shikamaru hissed.

But it was too late, _far_ too late. Sasuke looked up at the trees, his eyes glaring at their exact location. The Konoha nin held their breaths, but their eyes never left the Uchiha. However, the attack didn't come from the ex-Konoha nin.

"Iron Sand: Scattered Showers[1]!"

"Out of the way!" Neji yelled as he pushed both of his teammates and himself off of the tree they had been hiding in.

And a millisecond later, iron sand rained on that tree, shattering it into small pieces.

Now, you'd think the Konoha nin would be grateful for being alive and thinking they were lucky, right? Well, if you'd think that then you'd be dead _wrong_ because they apparently landed only a yard away from the Uchiha and his captive, and they were thinking '_Oh, shit!_' because _now_ they were surrounded by the enemy on _both_ sides. (But hey, at least, they still outnumbered the enemy . . . for now.)

"Well, three Konoha rats: one Nara genius, one Hyuga branch member and prodigy, and the hyperactive jinchuuriki…."

Naruto immediately recognized the voice. He looked behind him and confirmed his doubted identification. "Sasori…" he growled. He had not forgotten the last time he had met the puppet master, and that was when Naruto saw him sitting on Gaara's lifeless body.

Sasori chuckled. "For my name to be known all the way down to a _brat_ like you is an honor. However, unfinished business always has a way of snaking back into our lives, doesn't it?"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Ugh!! I'm so _bored_!!!!"

"I heard you the first time!" Karin screeched back. "Can't you do anything _useful_!?!"

"Whatever!" Suigetsu yelled back. "Hey, Madara-san! Can't you do something Tobi-ish? I miss that guy."

"It's not something I can turn on and off, you know." the irritated Uchiha said. "Plus, I'm beginning to fade into nothingness. I'm starting to think that my daughter _won't_ help restore me to my original body."

"Ah, that's just your fatherly instincts talking!" Suigetsu said, dismissing Madara's depression rather quickly. "You just don't want your daughter spending any more time with her international criminal of a boyfriend! Or maybe you're just jealous that Sasuke can spend more time with your daughter than you can! Oh, that has to be it!"

"Eh, whatever!" Madara said, turning away from Team Hebi, wallowing in his thoughts. _Hmp, I am not jealous of Sasuke… That's so childish…_

Suddenly, there was a poof of smoke and out came a small slug. "I have a message to give to a . . . etto . . . daddy evilest."

"That's me!" Madara said, almost in a Tobi-like manner.

But the slug just looked at him.

"_Well_? Are you going to tell me the message or not?"

"Just because I have to listen to Sakura-san doesn't mean I have to listen to _you_, too."

"Give me the message or I'll make sure you won't see the light of another day."

"Fine," the slug muttered. "Sakura-san said that you need to stage a kidnapping."

"_Kidnap_?" Suigetsu asked while Karin and Juugo began to pay attention to the conversation. "Kidnap _who_?"

"Her younger sister, Hotaru, and injure her two other sisters—injure them enough to put them into the hospital."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Tsunade didn't want to be back there. She didn't want to be back in depression but, for some unknown reason, she was back in Shizune's room, sitting right besides the late ebony-haired woman.

"You shouldn't have left like this," the Hokage said, trying to hold back tears. "You really shouldn't. Do you know what Sakura and I are going through right now? _Huh_? How could you be so selfish and leave us alone like this? Why, Shizune? _Why_? Why did you leave like you did?"

She knew her assistance couldn't hear her but, for another unknown reason, she felt better with each word she said.

"Leaving like this," she continued, "did you really think that we'd forgive you so easily? How could you . . . how in the world could you think that..? Shizune, why did you have to leave me all alone? Why, Shizune? _Why_..?"

"I miss you so much, Shizune…" Tsunade cried. "I miss hearing your voice… I miss hearing you yell at me for neglecting my paperwork and drinking sake… I miss you coming into my room with more paperwork… I miss you so much, Shizune… How could you do this to me? How could you..?"

For more reasons unknown, her tears became to drop out of her eyes in large pools. "Shizune…" She hadn't felt so much sadness, not even when her brother or lover died. _And yet . . . why do I feel so?_ And for a while, she was left in her mourning silence.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Kakashi, will you _continue_ to sulk? That's not very _youthful_!"

"Gai, I don't want to talk."

"_Eh_!?! That's not youthful either!" But sensing the evil glare coming off of the copy-cat nin, Gai quickly retorted, "Fine, fine! I'll stop talking so that you can read your porn books."

"I'm not in the mood."

"_EH_!?!" _Kakashi not reading his porn books!? This is worse than I thought!_ "Kakashi, my eternal rival, why not have a spar? I could use a good game before a mission!"

"Later."

Gai mentally dropped. He had tried everything to get Kakashi's sulking ass out of his house but to no avail. It was, like, after Shizune's death, Kakashi became a mindless good-for-nothing zombie! What was the world coming to!?

_I swear,_ Gai thought_, if Sakura really _is_ the reason for Shizune's death, I'll kill her myself! I need my youthful eternal rival back!_

* * *

**[1] = This technique hardens the Iron Sand into countless small grains or a few elongated needles. These projectiles can then be used to attack simultaneously across a wide range. The magnetic repellent forces will speed them up in an instant, making them so fast they can barely be seen. The range and speed of this attack make it almost impossible to defend against.**

**So did you guys like it? Like I said before, I'm really sorry it's a late update, but I have other fanfictions to work on (try to read them if you have time). I'll probably have another chapter up soon. So please be patient! Thank you!**

**Oh, and about the Kakashi and Gai conversation, I thought the chapter was too serious, so I added something funny. Oh, and I know Sasori wasn't sitting on Gaara's body when Naruto first sees him, but that's how it looked like to me, so . . . yeah... Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16: Re sublimity

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

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**Yay! The chapter's up! Sorry it took so, so, so, _so_ long! I was trying to think of a few ideas for this chapter! (Yeah, I'm running dry on ideas, but I'm re-stocking soon! So daijōbu!) This chapter's named after KOTOKO's Re-sublimity from the anime show _Kannazuki no Miko_. Please enjoy!**

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Chapter Sixteen

Re-sublimity

"Teme, let go of her…" Naruto growled, his concern for the pink-haired kunoichi grew with each passing moment.

"And if I _don't_?" the Uchiha asked. "Will you _kill_ me? Or better yet, do you have the _guts_ to even _try_?"

"Let go of her or _else_…"

"You're not in the position to be making threats." The Uchiha took out a kunai and held it against the pink-haired kunoichi's neck. "If you haven't forgotten, Sakura's _life_ is in _my_ hands."

"_Teme_…"

"Kyuubi boy," Sasori said, "Come quietly or the girl suffers in your place."

"_WHAT_!?!" Naruto shrieked. He turned back to his ex-teammate. "How could you, Sasuke..? I never thought you would sink this _low_… How could you use _Sakura_ as a hostage?"

But the Uchiha didn't answer, moving the kunai's deadly tip a bit closer to the kunoichi's neck.

Naruto hesitated. Right now, he was seriously considering surrendering as an option. At the very least, he knew that Sakura would be safe, right?

"Uchiha, what is your purpose?" Neji asked, [_finally_] stepping in. "First, Shizune is killed. Then, you kidnapped Ino. Afterwards, Hinata disappeared. And now, you're using Sakura as a hostage. What _exactly_ is your plan?"

Sasori chuckled. "And who said"—his iron sand gathered around—"that we'd answer to _you_!?! Iron Sand Unleashed[1]!"

And out of nowhere, large spikes of iron sand appeared, seeming to sprouting from the ground. The Konoha nin tried to avoid the deadly spikes—it was a nearly _impossible_ task. Spikes were sprouting from every open space and even from already formed spikes. They no longer had an escape route. And so, instead of trying to flee the hazardous battlefield, they chose a rendezvous point and regrouped.

During this point of time, Sasuke had used this to his advantage and left the battlefield, carrying Sakura along with him. However, this didn't go unnoticed by his ex-teammate.

"_SASUKE_!" He charged after his two friends but was stopped when three humongous spikes sprouted out of the ground in front of him, completely blocking his way.

"Boy, don't get distracted." Sasori said. "_I'm_ your opponent and, until you defeat me, you won't be leaving this area."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Hey, Kakashi," Gai said. "How about a game of Jan-ken-pon?"

"Don't feel like it," the glum and gloomy Kakashi said, looking out the window.

"Oh, come on, my eternal rival! One game for old times' sake!"

Kakashi didn't respond.

"Well, if not for old times' sake then do it for Shizune."

At his lover's name, Kakashi's ears perked up.

"She wouldn't want to see you like this, now would she?"

The silver-haired (and better-looking) jonin sighed. "Okay, okay… But just _one_ game."

"_Yosh_!" Gai flashed his teeth and his signature thumbs-up but, for _some_ reason, Kakashi knew he was going to be playing for a long, _long_ time.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

'Tis all was quiet throughout the Haruno household. Not a peep was heard, and not a peep was made. All the windows were dark; all the lights were off except for _one_—the one in the younger sister's room, Hotaru's room. She was an innocent little girl. She didn't even know if she was in danger or not. Why, she was dreaming sweet dreams without a care for her elder sister—yes, Sakura—had been completely stressed out the last time she saw her . . . when _they_ came to the house.

"Here's our stop!" Suigetsu said as he slammed down the door, making a great big _thump_ing noise.

"_Quiet_!" Karin hissed. "You don't want to alert the whole village that there's been a break-in!"

"Fine, then." The swordsman picked up the door and put it back in its place. Then he climbed the roof, an empty bag in his fist. And if that wasn't bad enough, he started humming the tune to _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_.

"What do you think you're _doing_!?" Karin asked in a screechy whisper.

"Reenacting _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ but, in this case, it's _How Karin and Suigetsu Stole Haruno Hotaru_."

Karin rolled her eyes and mentally slapped herself. "You _idiot_!" she scolded the childish fool. "How do you expect to _kidnap_ someone when you're being a character from a _children's_ book!? And besides, you got the girl's name wrong. It's _Tomoe_ Hotaru, _Tomoe_. She and Sakura don't share the same father."

"Well, they don't share the same _birth mother_ either." Suigetsu countered. "Hibiya Chitose is only their _adopted_ mother."

"Who cares!?"

"Anoo . . . I think _you_ care because _you're_ the one who brought up this whole conversation."

"_Argh_!! Just keep climbing!"

"Okay!" Suigetsu said and then started singing (off-_tune_ and off-_key_, by the way). "Just keep climbing, just keep climbing, climbing, climbing, climbing. What do we do? We climb! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HAA!! I love to _CLIMB_! I love to--"

"Would you stop that!?!"

"Gomen."

"Hey, wait a minute! Don't you have a spare key to this house?"

"Anoo . . . _yes_?"

"Then why are we climbing this house in the first place!?!"

". . . Because I lost the key on the way here."

Karin slapped herself. "Kill me now."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

The Konoha nin continued to attack the puppet master but to no avail. Every time they came close, an iron sand spike would block their way and sometimes injure the Konoha shinobi.

"Is there no way to _hit_ this guy!?" Naruto asked.

"Neji, do you see any weaknesses?" Shikamaru asked.

"_No_!" the Hyuga answered. "The Byakugan can't pick up _any_ trace of chakra in the iron sand!"

"Then I guess there's no way to win except--"

"_What_!?! We can't give up, Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled, interrupting the team leader. "They have Sakura, Ino, and Hinata as hostages! We _have_ to save them!"

"Calm down, Naruto. I wasn't going to suggest _surrendering_ as an option."

"Oh, _really_?" Naruto said, sheepishly. "Then what _were_ you going to say?"

"Cover for me, you guys!"

"_Oro_? What do you plan to do, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"Just distract the puppet dude!" Shikamaru said. (Yeah, he was _so lazy_ that he couldn't remember his opponent's name.)

"Right!" And Neji and Naruto were off.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Jan-ken-pon!"

All rock, no winner.

"Again!" Gai yelled.

_I thought I agreed to _one_ game_, Kakashi thought.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Now, that was _pointless_." Karin said as she dusted off her skirt.

Suigetsu jumped into the house through the window right after his teammate. "Well, I thought it was kind of fun."

"You _thought_!" Karin scoffed. "It wasn't _fun_ at all! Why, I'd wring your neck if I could!"

"Aw, I feel so _loved_!"

"You better _not_."

"Fine." Suigetsu started strutting off in the direction of the girl's room.

"Anoo . . . her room's this way." Karin said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"No, it's this way!"

"_Nuh-uh_! I remember the structure of the bitch's home! Her younger sister's room is _this _way!"

"Ugh! This is getting us _nowhere_ fast! Just find her chakra signature and we'll follow that!"

"_Fine_!" But just as Karin soon found out and soon remembered… "CHILDREN DON'T HAVE CHAKRA SIGNATURES, YOU TWIT!!!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Shadow Possession Jutsu[2]!" Shikamaru's shadow extended, trying to reach his opponent, and it did.

"Heh," Sasori chuckled. "So . . . you're a puppet master, too…"

"I guess you could call it that." Shikamaru shot back as his two teammates jumped to his side, kunai ready just in case Sasori broke through their leader's grasp. "Now, tell me: who are you and the _rest_ of Akatsuki working for?"

Sasori let out another chuckle. "Gee, who do you _think_, kid?"

"You're working for Madara." Neji stated.

"Who else?"

"_See_?" Naruto asked his two teammates. "I _told_ you so!"

"_Oh_? Do I sense some _tension_ within your group?" Sasori asked. "Is it because of his daughter?"

"H-How did you know?" Naruto asked.

"Heh, it's fairly easy to tell when the Uchiha and I found the kunoichi crying hysterically in the forest, running _away_ from her teammates. Plus, Team Hebi gave us a report when they kidnapped _both_ of your kunoichi friends, but I never thought that you'd be so _desperate_ and so _doubtful_ to suspect one of your own." Sasori said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Sakura is Madara's daughter." Neji said as Shikamaru struggled to hold his jutsu. "What did you expect us to think?"

The puppet master shrugged. "Yes, what you say makes sense. However, I believe you overlooked one _tiny_ detail. Your pink-haired teammate has renounced her ties with her birth father. Madara has even put out a _hit_ on her—he wants to punish her. He requested that we bring her to him by _force_, alive or dead. He prefers the former, though. You have _no idea_ how _hard_ it is to try to change that stubborn girl's mind."

_Um, yeah, I think I do,_ all the Konoha nin thought.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Jan-ken-pon!"

All scissors, no winner. And this was their thirtieth game.

"Again! Again!" Gai said.

_Since when did this turn into a marathon!?_ Kakashi asked himself, regretting to ever agreeing to play the game.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

As Suigetsu and Karin entered the child's room, they stayed in the doorway for a while until they were sure that Hotaru was sleeping. And indeed, she was. And so, they tip-toed into the room, each walking to either sides of the bed she slept on.

"Okay, now, let's do this quickly and _quietly_." Karin said. "We can't draw any attention, and we can't wake the kid up."

"_Right_!"

But then, as Suigetsu reached out to grab the little black-haired girl, he heard a small sound like the cooing of a dove. The two Hebi members turned around fast, and they saw two small girls—Mihara Freya and Elda, just about Sakura's height and age.

For a while, both members of each party just stared at the other party, unable to think of their next move.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"What is your plan?" Shikamaru interrogated Sasori who was still caught in the Shadow possession jutsu.

"What do you mean?" the Akatsuki member asked. "Oh, are you talking about why we're holding your kunoichi friends as hostages? Well, I think you all should know the answer to _that_."

"You plan on ransoming them to get Konoha." Neji said, stating the thing that was in his teammates' minds as well.

"Good guess but, unfortunately . . . that's _wrong_." Sasori said, shocking the Konoha shinobi. "Our plan is not at that stage yet. I already told you that Madara wants to punish his daughter for renouncing her family ties and that your friend—Sakura, is it?—has a stubborn mind. Can you _guess_ how we're going to try to make her come over to the dark side?"

Sasori didn't need to say another word. The Konoha nin already knew.

"_BASTARD_!!" Naruto screamed. "IF YOU OR _ANY_ OF THE AKATSUKI MEMBERS PUT EVEN _ONE_ _HAND_ ON SAKURA--"

"OR HINATA-SAMA!"

"OR INO EVEN _IF_ SHE'S AS TROUBLESOME AS HELL!"

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!" Naruto yelled. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH ANY OF THIS!! SAKURA WOULD _NEVER_ GIVE IN TO IT!!"

"Well,"—Sasori shrugged—"You may be right about that, but that's why we're collecting the last piece of the whole puzzle."

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Jan-ken-pon!"

All papers, no winner. And this was their one-hundred and fifth game.

"You know, I'm starting to get tired of all these ties." Gai said.

"Yeah," Kakashi agreed, glad that Gai _finally_ wanted to stop. "I'm getting bored, too."

And their game ended just in time because…

"KAKASHI!! GAI!! There's _trouble_!!" Kurenai and Anko burst through the door. "The Haruno household! It's been broken-into! They've kidnapped _Tomoe Hotaru_!"

"_WHAT_!?!" the two male jonin asked. How could that have happened right under their noses?

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"'_Last piece_'?" Neji asked, assuming the worst. _If they even _try_ to go after Tenten, I'll--_

"Relax, Hyuga. We're not going after your kunoichi teammate." Sasori said, and Neji was somewhat relieved to hear that. "She'd cause too much of a commotion during this hour of night (yes, it's nighttime again because they were searching for Hinata for a really long time), what, with all her weapons summoning and with the ANBU also watching her."

"Then who do you plan to get?" Naruto asked.

"The one girl you don't know about…" Sasori answered. "The one girl who your cherry blossom hasn't told you about yet…"

And then realization hit the team leader. "Oh Kami-sama!" Shikamaru gritted his teeth, fully aware now of what Sasori was getting at. "Don't tell me you're--"

"_Oh_? You _are_ smart, after all, Nara." Sasori chuckled. "Yes, we plan on kidnapping _her_."

"Who are you two talking about?" Naruto asked. "Shikamaru, who do you two mean?"

"Naruto, try _not_ to hold this against Sakura but, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to tell you of her family, seeing that you don't have one yourself. She didn't want you to feel misunderstood or left out." Shikamaru explained. "And in her family, there's only _one_ person that Sakura would _definitely_—without a doubt—give her life for, and that's--"

"Her younger sister, Tomoe Hotaru."

* * *

**Jan-ken-pon = Rock-papers-scissors**

**[1] = This jutsu uses Iron Sand to create a gigantic sphere of branching spikes. The user creates two masses of Iron Sand with opposite polarities and then merges them together. This causes the magnetic forces to instantly increase and the repellent force created by the two opposing magnetic fields scatters the Iron Sand across a vast area. The Iron Sand spreads in spikes that branch off irregularly, making it almost impossible to get a clear overview of what is happening. This also makes evading the spikes nearly impossible. Even if the opponent has managed to evade getting hit, the Iron Sand spikes will have filled the entire surroundings, cutting off any escape routes. With the opponent trapped, the user is free to attack in person.**

**[2] = (All of you should know this jutsu.) This jutsu allows the user to extend their shadow for as far as it has sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. Therefore, the two can throw shuriken at each other at the same time if the user desires that. (Of course, to prevent hurting themselves, the user just has to have the shuriken holster in a place where you don't normally have it, like the back, so that the opponent draws nothing when the user draws a shuriken.) If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through.**

**Yeah, the chapter's done! I'm sorry if it took a while, but here it is! Oh, and I hope you don't hate the funny Karin/Suigetsu moment when they're breaking into Sakura's house, but I just wanted to put something funny in this fanfiction because it's so serious! It needed something funny! It's based off of (you all should know this) _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_.**

**Oh, and Tomoe Hotaru is not an original character. And neither are Freya or Elda. Hotaru's from _Sailor Moon_, as many of you know, and Freya and Elda are from _Chobits_. And since they're in this fanfiction and I like to recycle some characters, you're bound to see them in my other fanfiction _Passion_.**

**Also, I'm sorry for the stupid battle scene. It wasn't even a scene. As you can tell, I'm not good at battle scenes especially when I'm rushed, so hopefully you all like it! Please review!**

* * *

**POLL!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Which Akatsuki member do you want to see next?**


	17. Chapter 17: It's a Wonder…

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

* * *

**Yippee! The chapter's up! I'm sorry it took so long, but my parents are deciding to renovate the house, and I got more school projects to work on, so yeah… No time to do anything. Please enjoy this chapter! This chapter is named after the song by Agnes Chan and Jackie Chan (though you can't hear him _at all_ in the song).**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

It's a Wonder…

"_NANI_!?! SAKURA HAS A YOUNGER SISTER!?!" Naruto shrieked to the heavens, almost as if his whole world has ended. "AND NOBODY _TOLD_ ME!?!"

"Well . . . I already told you, Naruto." Shikamaru said, cleaning out his almost going-deaf ears. "Sakura didn't want you to feel misunderstood or left out."

"MISUNDERSTOOD OR LEFT OUT MY ASS!!" Naruto screamed. "THAT'S NO REASON TO TELL _EVERYONE ELSE_ AND LEAVE _ME_ OUT!!!"

"She didn't know what else to do, Naruto." Shikamaru replied back to the enraged shinobi. "What _was_ she supposed to do? Act all _happy_ because of her family around her teammates who have _lost_ their families?"

Naruto opened his mouth to yell some more but then closed it. He really had no comeback to that, and so he sulked. "Let's just go save the girls." he said, not even looking at Shikamaru.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Neji said.

"Um, _hello_? Forget about little old _me_?" Sasori asked, waving his hands.

"Oh, right… The old man who looks young thanks to his puppet…" the Konoha nin said, looking back at the Akatsuki member they didn't finish off. "We'll take care of you right now…"

"That's not what I meant…"

"_Rasengan_!!"

"No, wait! Naruto, at least let me release my jutsu first!" But Shikamaru's warning came a bit too late, and not only was Sasori sent flying backwards but so was the smart-ass.

"_Hora_, _hora_, you couldn't wait for me, sempai?" a lazy voice asked.

Sasori groaned. "Not _now_, Deidara. Can't you see sempai is _busy_?"

"Deidara?" Shikamaru asked as Neji helped him up. "But I thought Sasuke finished you off."

"Well, you thought wrong, _un_! I'm still _alive_ and kicking, yea!"

"Anoo . . . do you have a pronunciation problem or _something_?" Naruto asked. "Cuz you always end your sentences with something stupid sounding."

"EXCUSE ME, _UN_!?!" Deidara shrieked.

"You see? There you go again with the _'un'_ sound." Naruto tsked. "Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"Hey, Sasori-sempai?"

"Yes, Deidara?"

"Can I kill them?"

"Go on ahead."

"_Yay_!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

Sakura felt cold, but it was time that her senses finally kicked in. _Hell, what did the Uchiha stuck into my body!?_ she thought, unable to speak or open her eyes yet. But after a while minutes, she was able to move, and her eyes fluttered open. Boy, did she regret _that_.

The Uchiha, carrying her on his back, was streaking through the dark, thick underbrush of the forest like a bullet—like a ghost. There was no sound, no evidence that his feet touched the earth. His breathing never changed, never indicated any effort. But the trees flew by at deadly speeds, always missing them only by inches.

Sakura forced her eyes shut then and refused to open them until Sasuke finally stopped.

"Sakura?" he asked, a bit of concern ringed in his voice.

"I think . . . I think I need to lie down…" Her voice was small as she gasped.

"Right… Like you haven't been doing _that_ for the past few minutes." the Uchiha muttered.

The kunoichi glared at him but nevertheless ignored his comment. She stiffly unlocked her stranglehold on his body and slipped to the ground, landing on her backside.

The Uchiha stared at her, not with indifferent eyes this time. His eyes showed a bit of amusement in them which Sakura noticed.

"A little help would be nice," she said gruffly, holding out her hand.

"Right…" The Uchiha helped her up.

However, Sakura's legs weren't fully awake yet, and they gave away before she was even standing upright. Sasuke tugged her a bit to get her up straight, but apparently that tug was a bit too much, and Sakura fell against his chest. And now both of them were on the ground.

"Clumsy much?" Sasuke teased, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"No," Sakura argued. "It's that . . . whatever you stuck into my system. Apparently, it's still in effect."

"It was only an anesthetic," the Uchiha said. "And it wasn't a big amount either."

"Oh, _really_?" Sakura asked acerbically. "And pray tell, who told you _that_?"

"Karin."

For some reason, Sakura really didn't like it when Sasuke mentioned the redhead's name. She just didn't, for some reason.

Sasuke looked at her skeptically. "You're not _jealous_, are you, Sakura?"

Offended by that, Sakura _hmp_ed. "Don't know what you're talking about." She crossed her arms.

"Right… And here you are fuming and being a little green-eyed monster."

"Excusez-moi?" Sakura's voice almost reached screeching levels. (She thought Sasuke was insulting her since she _was_ green-eyed.) "I don't think I heard you correctly."

"Yep, _definitely_ jealous."

"You have no proof."

"Madara told me that your mother was over-possessive of things _and_ of people." Sasuke explained. "He said that you'd be the same."

"I don't even remember my mom or even her _name_. How am I supposed to act like her when I don't even _know_ her?"

"You don't need to need to _know_ her. The over-possessiveness runs in your veins."

"So . . . you're saying my grandmother had it, too?"

"Yes . . . and that you're jealous, nonetheless."

Sakura huffed. "You're just _full_ of yourself…" she grumbled.

Sasuke smirked and then he flipped them over, so now he was on top of her. He leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear, "You know . . . jealousy is _really_ unsightly."

Sakura puffed. "_Hmp_! Stop taking my quotes…" was all she said. She was still fuming from her boiling up jealousy even though she said she wasn't.

"Don't worry," the Uchiha chuckled. "Even if there's another girl, I wouldn't throw any glances at her. In my book, you're the prettiest girl there is."

"Aw… How sweet…" Sakura said, her voice full of sarcasm. "Don't flatter yourself."

Sasuke shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said as he got off of her. He helped her up and, this time, she didn't fall over. "But I still say you're jealous."

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**Damn! It's a short chapter! I thought it was a whole lot longer… Oh well, I guess I'll have to make the next one a bit longer then. Oh, and because I haven't updated in a while, here's a list of definitions to help jog your memory a bit.**

**Anoo = um…**

**Arigato = thank you**

**Baka = idiot**

**Daijōbu = don't worry**

**Daijōbu desu ka = are you alright?**

**Dou shita no = what's the matter?**

**Etto = let me see; well; errr...**

**Godaime = fifth (as in Godaime Hokage for "Fifth Hokage")**

**Hora = hey!**

**Itai = ow; ouch**

**Iwa = Rock (as in Hidden Stone Village [Iwagakure])**

**Kami = God**

**Kyaa = eek**

**Nande = why; what for; how; by what means?**

**Nani = what?**

**Nani wo shite iru no desu ka = what are you talking about?**

**Obaachan = grandma**

**Oro = huh? (borrowed from Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X)**

**Oto = Sound (as in Sound Village [Otogakure] or Land of Sound)**

**Shisou = master (as in teacher)**

**Sonna shikametsu menshi te = why are you grimacing like that?**

**I'm sorry if the chapter was short, but I didn't update in a _really_ long time, and I thought I should put up a chapter for you guys. Plus, this was more of a filler chapter with a nice SasuSaku moment and a funny fight moment. Hopefully, you guys are too disappointed. Please review!**

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**POLLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Do you want Deidara and Sasori to win the battle or should Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru should?**

**Also, do you think Itachi should come into this story? This is, like, really a _big_ issue.**

**Also, should I have Ino go crazy for the first few days as a vampire?**

**And what would Hinata's role be as a captured enemy? Hostage or something else?**


	18. Chapter 18: part of Me

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

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Y****ippee! The chapter's up! I'm so sorry it took so long, but I had to work on my other fanfictions and my mind was, like, jammed up with so many other ideas for other fanfics, and I had no idea what to do on this fanfiction! I tried to update it, but all of the past chapters came out really crappy! I'm so sorry! This one will be better, I tell you! I'll even bet my life on it! The chapter is named after Ayumi Hamasaki's **_**part of Me**_**. I'll explain in my bottom author's notes why. So please enjoy!**

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Chapter Eighteen

part of Me

"I wonder if Suigetsu and Karin finished that job I asked them to do…" Sakura said to Sasuke as they came upon Madara's hideout.

Sasuke was about to say something, but then…

"OY, KID! DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

"SUIGETSU, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO _WATCH_ HER! Hotaru sweetie, swords aren't for children!"

"YEAH! SWORDS AREN'T FOR CHILDREN!" Suigetsu yelled. "Now put it down and give the sword back to Uncle Sui! _NO_! DON'T DO THAT! OH, HOTARU! STOP THAT _RIGHT NOW_! YOU PUT DOWN THAT SWORD, RIGHT NOW, YOUNG LADY!"

"I think _that_ should answer your question," Sasuke said to the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Gee, thanks for pointing out the obvious." Sakura rolled her eyes as the two of them followed the yells to the two shinobi who were clearly having trouble restricting a mere _five_-year-old.

As they closed in on the site, they saw what they couldn't believe. Hotaru—a mere five-year-old _toddler_—had defeated a bloodthirsty swordsman—a bloodthirsty swordsman who was _bigger_, _taller_, and _stronger_ than a mere five-year-old _toddler_.

"Suigetsu, what _are_ you doing?" the Uchiha asked.

"Oh,"—the swordsman struggled to sit up—"Just playing"—he grabbed the toddler who was running in circles around him—"with cute, little"—the five-year-old bit him then—"_adorable_"—he sneered at the word—"Hotaru."—she started crying—"Isn't she just the _cutest_ little thing you've ever seen?"

"Seems like you're having trouble," Sakura said.

"Gee," Karin snapped, "Ya _think_?"

"Here," Sakura said, holding out her hands. "Give her to me."

Hearing a familiar voice, Hotaru's head immediately turned to her sister, and a huge smile appeared on her face. "_Sapo_! _Sapo_!" she giggled, clapping her hands excitedly. She extended her arms out, reaching for the kunoichi.

Sakura giggled. She cradled the toddler in her arms, swaying along with the wind. "Irankaratte, Hotaru-matak. Eiwanke ya?"

"Kuiwanke wa," Hotaru answered. Then, she said something in a whole lot more Ainu**[see bottom]** words that even I don't know which left everyone confused. Only Sakura laughed along with her sister.

"Well, what did she say?" Karin asked.

"She said she had a fun time," Sakura laughed again, "with Unarpe and Acapo."

"With _who_?" Suigetsu asked.

"With auntie and uncle."

"_WHAT_?" Suigetsu and Karin shrieked. "WE'RE NOT _THAT_ OLD!"

"Well, even ten-year-olds can have nephews and nieces, if that makes you two feel better."

At that moment, Hotaru caught sight of Sasuke. She tugged on Sakura's hair.

"Nekone, a-mataki?"

Hotaru pointed at the Uchiha. "Nen?"

"Oh, _him_?" Sakura asked.

Strangely enough, Hotaru understood that much Japanese to nod her head.

"He's _ku-kor kur_."

Hotaru's eyes widened then, and her jaw dropped. Even though she was a toddler, she knew that whatever her sister said was definitely surprising.

"Hey, what did you say to her?" Sasuke asked. "She's awfully quiet now."

"Nothing," Sakura said quickly, trying to dismiss that question. "Where's Daddy?" she asked Karin. But Karin needn't answer because…

"Here I am, sweetie!"

Sakura stepped out of the way before her father could pull her into a hug.

Hotaru stared at the man. "Nen?" she asked her sister.

"Ku-kor aca," Sakura answered.

"_Ku-kor _aca?"

Sakura nodded her head. "In a way, yes. But he's a lot older than the normal father. Best if you call him _'Ekasi'_." she said in Ainu language.

Hotaru nodded, but she hid her face and pressed herself against Sakura's chest. No matter what, finding out some weirdo was your sister's father was nerve-ending. Plus, she was scared of strangers (emphasizes on the _'strange'_ part of _'stranger'_).

"Where's Ino?" Sakura asked. "The transformation should have finished by now."

"We still have her locked up in the hideout." Juugo answered.

"In the prison?"

"Yes."

"Okay,"—the cherry blossom set her little firefly (Hotaru means firefly, by the way) on the ground—"Stay here," she said in Ainu. "Sapo will be right back." And suddenly, Sakura's body turned into black smoke with cherry blossoms flying around, chiming like bells. The black smoke flew into the ground and, at an incredible speed, went into the hideout, down the stairs, and into the cell where Ino was chained to the wall.

As Sakura materialized, she took a step closer to her friend. Hearing that slight sound, Ino's blood-red eyes opened, and she tried to attack Sakura. For some reason, Sakura felt a pang of guilt. That was her _friend_ who was chained up and acting like a wild animal trapped in a cage. It was _her_ fault that Ino was there in the first place…

But when Ino began to regain her human self, Sakura's façade went up. "So . . . you want to kill me, Ino? You want to kill this '_Kuruizaki-hime_,' no?"

Ino didn't say anything, glaring at the pink-haired kunoichi and then turning away.

A small smile made its way onto Sakura's face. "_Answer_ me, Yamanaka Ino."

Suddenly, Ino felt this great force on her, hurting her physically and emotionally. Her mouth opened on its own accord and the word, "Yes," came out of it.

Sakura smirked. "Are you surprised, Ino? Are you surprised that you _followed_ my order against your very own will?" She knelt down beside the blonde girl and turned her face towards hers. "Poor child, I'll tell you the truth…You cannot kill me. I am your master. I gave you life as a chiropteran. As such, you are my faithful servant."

Having heard enough, Ino pushed Sakura away, not even sparing a glance at the traitor.

The Haruno giggled. "You know, you're the first one who hasn't yielded to me."

At that, Ino's ears perked up. What had Sakura meant when she said, "First one?"

"What? You think I'd leave Tenten and Temari out on all of the _fun_?" Sakura asked; a cruel chuckle painted her voice.

Ino's eyes widened. "_You_… You turned them, too? How could you? Sakura, why? When did you-"

"You're in no position to be asking questions!" Sakura snapped. "Don't forget, I've left Hinata untouched. But that could change rather quickly." Another puff of black smoke appeared at the far end of the room, and Hinata's sleeping figure emerged.

"Hinata!"

"Ah-uhn, you wouldn't want to wake the little doll up." Sakura warned. She snapped her fingers, and Hinata disappeared. "She's had a long day, you know, trying to survive and such. Why, she's been so worried about you… Everyone, too. They're _all_ worried about you… It's one of the reasons why I won't dispose of you." _Another is because you're my friend but, if I were to say that aloud, who knows who could be listening? Madara is _not_ to be trusted…_

"Did you . . . did you have all this planned out? Shizune's death? Mine and Hinata's kidnapping?" Ino asked. "I doubt this all is a coincidence! Sakura, you-"

"Remember this, Ino: there is no such thing as a coincidence in this world. Everything is inevitable."

"Sakura! Why are you doing this?" Ino asked. "I don't understand! You told me that you wouldn't turn over to Madara's side, even if he _is_ your father! What happened to that girl, _huh_? Why would you do this?"

"Because . . ." Sakura whispered into Ino's ear, "At the current level you, Naruto, and the rest of Konoha 11 are at, you wouldn't even be able to land a _scratch_ on Madara… Sasuke might be able to but, once Madara dies, another threat will rise… And if you all are still at the level you're at now, I fear that many—most likely, _all_ of you—will be lost in that battle… I can't have that if my plan is to work…"

"What do you mean?" Ino asked. "What _is_ your plan? And what's this about another threat? Sakura, what are you talking about?"

"Only another Queen will know of the full abilities of the other," Sakura explained. "I've foreseen some of the bleak future that's in stored for the ninja world. And I've got to say . . . it's _not_ pretty. I don't want that to happen, and I don't believe any of you want it to happen either… So, listen to me now and go along with my plan for now."

"And if I _don't_?"

"Then I _will_ take away your free will, Ino, so don't test me or you won't have much of a future either."

"Sakura! What is your plan? Why are you allying yourself with Madara and Team Hebi? Why are you like this? What _made_ you like this? And what is this new coming threat? If you can't answer any of those questions, what reason would that be because of?"

Sakura stood up then and walked away from the kunoichi, trying to stay calm. She ran her hand through her rosette hair.

"I _know_ you're unsure of yourself! You're _never_ confident in yourself! You can't finish through with anything if you're unsure about something! Do you even have _any_ intentions of relieving yourself of your insecurities?"

Sakura looked back at her friend; her eyes had a killing intent in them. "Then . . . shall I crush one of my insecurities _now_?" she asked.

And within a blink of an eye, Sakura had grabbed Ino's throat and had the Yamanaka against the wall. But Ino was not frightened, not even in the least bit, and she had her gun against Sakura's throat.

"Kill me, then…" she said, "If I get the chance, I'll probably shoot you…"

Sakura pushed her "_friend_" further into the wall; Ino didn't flinch. Sakura smirked. "You are _impossible_…" she chuckled. "A chiropteran's instincts should tell you to revere and fear your Queen . . . but, for you to bare your fangs at me, I truly despise you!"

Sakura pushed Ino through the wall; the gun went off. Luckily, there was another room next to the prison or else Sasuke or any one of Team Hebi would've stopped that fight. Sakura still had her hand on Ino's throat, her grip had tightened immensely, and Ino's gun was still against her neck.

"How many times have you thought about killing me? Huh, Ino? However . . . you wouldn't be satisfied if things went that easily, now would you?"

"Do _all_ you Queens _not_ know when to _quit_?" Ino retorted.

"I don't want to hear it from someone who's not serious," Sakura said, blood flowing down one side of her face. "There would be a horrible hole in my plans if you were to die _now_…" she continued as her blood dripped onto Ino's face, the Yamanaka's eyes glowing a deep crimson.

Ino struggled with the scent of blood, but it was hard to keep the throbbing off of her face.

Sakura smirked again. "Your body is honest. You see blood, and your eyes tell me you desire it…" She unhanded her "_friend_" then, cutting Ino's skin just a small bit to get her blood to shed. Sakura licked her bloodied finger. "I wonder . . ." she said, "If you would still be able to play a key role in my plan with that face on…"

Ino's eyes widened, and her resolve disappeared at that point. She knew how dangerous it would be to be near any of her friends in that state. At best, she would only harm them. And at worst, she would suck them dry, they would die, and she would still be a bloodthirsty demon.

"Listen, Ino…" Sakura said into her ear, darkly and coolly. "You should drink my blood now."

"Don't joke with me!" Ino tried to fire her gun, but Sakura grabbed her hand and applied such a huge amount of pressure on it that she broke Ino's slim hand. Ino winced.

"Why would it be a _joke_?" the Haruno asked. "Within my body flows the blood that would be able to lengthen your life as a _'human_,' and it will certainly help you remain as a _'human'_ and stop your hunger for a nice while. Surely, you knows what happens to those chiropterans who don't drink the blood of their '_mother_,' no?"

Ino didn't say anything because she knew she had nothing she could use against Sakura's facts.

"The shadows of insanity will become distant," she continued. "And it would be a problem if you die now. I've let you live this long because you are very useful to me . . . and I know you would _never_ betray me."

Ino scoffed. "It's unlike you to decide things for me, Forehead… Since when have you learned to become a leader?"

"Because my feelings for you have stayed the same, that's why… You're still my friend even if we _are_ on different sides of the battle. In the war and long-run, we're still allies…"

"I . . . I just want to hear everyone laugh, for them to be able to laugh from the bottom of their hearts…"

"As do I…"

"There is no need for _anyone_ to sacrifice _anything_…"

"That's correct…" Sakura closed her eyes as Ino grabbed her shirt, her fangs sinking into the Haruno's neck; the Queen's blood being spilled.

_Including you, Sakura…_

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Acapo = uncle (Ainu)

**A-mataki = my little sister (Ainu)**

**Eiwanke ya = how are you? (Ainu)**

**Ekasi = grandfather (Ainu)**

**Irankaratte = hello (Ainu)**

**Ku-kor = my (Ainu)**

**Ku-kor kur = my husband (Ainu)**

**Kuiwanke wa = fine [answer to "Eiwanke ya"] (Ainu)**

**Matak = little sister (Ainu)**

**Nekone = what's the matter? (Ainu)**

**Nen = who?**

**Sapo = older sister (Ainu)**

**Unarpe = aunt (Ainu)**

**OMG! I just love this chapter! It's, like, **_**Vampire Knight**_**-ish. And it's not stupid, for once. Okay, the chapter's finished, but you're all probably wondering: **_**what's Ainu**_**? Right? Well, Ainu is one of the Ainu languages, spoken by members of the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. Until the twentieth century, Ainu languages were also spoken throughout the southern half of the island of Sakhalin and by small numbers of people in the Kuril Islands. All but the Hokkaidō language are extinct, with the last speaker of Sakhalin Ainu having died in 1994; and Hokkaidō Ainu is moribund, though there are ongoing attempts to revive it (which what I want to help do). So, to sum it all up, Ainu people are like Native Japanese people and Ainu language is their language. Get it?**

**Well, if you don't, just read it like you would when I put Japanese words into my fanfiction, okay? I only put this in to inform people of the language and to make Hotaru seem cute because Ainu language [to me] looks like baby talk in a way.**

**So, yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's short, but I have longer chapters planned out! Just . . . not soon-soon. So yeah, please review!**

**Oh, and this chapter is named **_**part of Me**_** because Sakura had stated**_** "Because my feelings for you have stayed the same, that's why… You're still my friend even if we **_**are**_** on different sides of the battle. In the war and long-run, we're still allies…"**_** So, yeah, Sakura's saying that a part of her heart is still with her friends, no matter what. Same thing with Ino especially when she says/thinks **"**_There is no need for _anyone_ to sacrifice _anything_…" Including you, Sakura…_**

**Does that make sense? Well, if it doesn't, don't hurt yourself over it, okay? Just enjoy and wait for the next chapter! See you next time!**


	19. Chapter 19: Love's not a Crime

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

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**Yippee! The chapter's up! I hoped you all liked that last chapter because I only got one review. If you guys have anything to say, please review. Don't hold back, kay? Thanks to ****konnichiha yoshi-chan**** for being the only one who reviewed. I hope you all like this chapter. It's named after ****백지영 ****(Baek Ji-Young)'s ****사랑이****죄인가요 ****(****_Love's not a Crime_) from the k-drama _Princess Ja-Myung _****자명고****. Please enjoy!**

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Chapter Nineteen

Love's not a Crime

As Sakura walked up the stairs to the upper level, she was re-thinking her options. Why did she have to do this anyway? She was only hurting her friends and herself. She had another option, and that would be to kill her father, so what was stopping her? Sasuke and the rest of Team Hebi were on her side. Sasuke definitely would follow her, and the rest of Team Hebi would follow him—not only that, but they had grown quite attached to the cherry blossom. So, they weren't the problem. The problem laid in her father's relationship with her mother. They each betrayed the other and, in the end, the result was the reason why Sakura was hesitating. _If Madara were to die then…_

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

Sakura jumped but turned to greet her father. "N-nothing, Daddy… I was just wondering…"

"Wondering about _what_?" He walked over to her and combed her hair behind her ear.

Sakura shuddered at his cold touch, and she couldn't meet his gaze. "N-nothing important, Daddy…" she said, trying to hide her displeasure.

"I will not take that as an answer, young lady!" he said in a Tobi-like manner. "I know when you are awake, I know when you are asleep, I know when you're happy, and I know when you're sad! And I certainly know if something's on your mind! So, tell me, sweetie."

Sakura sighed. She definitely did _not_ want a father-daughter moment right now, so she told a semi-lie-semi-truth. "I was . . . _thinking_ . . . about . . . Mother." She paused when she felt Madara tense. She felt his gaze intensify on her. She felt as though she was suffocating under it; she was frightened now. "I don't . . . I don't remember much about her," she said, trying to save herself. "I . . . I was trying to . . . to remember."

She felt Madara's gaze on her lessen a bit, but she could still feel the tension in the air, so she pulled out a guilt-trip. "I . . . I miss her, Daddy."—her eyes became wet—"My heart . . . aches . . . every time I try to think about her. It's been heated . . . almost to the point of boiling, burning, and exploding… And I don't understand why."

Madara let out a sigh, and Sakura no longer felt his gaze on her. Score one for her, the first part of her plan had worked. "Daddy…" she asked, commencing part two of her plan, "What was Mommy like?"

Madara tensed again, and he didn't say anything.

"Daddy..?" Sakura asked, innocently.

". . . I wish you wouldn't ask me any questions about your mother, dear." he said to her; this time, it was _his_ turn to hide his discomfort. "It makes me very . . . _uncomfortable_ to think back to those times I had with her."

"But, Daddy, most of my powers are unknown to you. That was the whole reason for the operation: to see how I would be affected if any germs, any diseases, were injected into me." Sakura said. "And yet, we still know _nothing_. Surely, if she's still alive then--"

"Your mother's gone," he snapped. "I do not wish to go into detail, and I wish you would not push into this anymore."

Sakura heard the authority in his voice. And without doubt, she was scared. Even blood-related to him, she didn't know what he would do to her if she _did_ cross him. "Yes…" Her voice did not falter when she said so. "Fath--"

But before she could finish, Madara grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Her palm bled, but he didn't let go. He grip tightened, the pain became unbearable, and Sakura slowly fell to her knees as more blood streamed out of her hand.

"I will _not_ tolerate your tone just now!" Madara said, his grip continued to tighten on his daughter's hand; her blood poured onto the floor in small amounts, but it soon became a small puddle. "I know very well what hurts you the most, and I know very well what I need to do to keep you from rebelling against me like any regular teenager shinobi! And right now,"—he smirked behind his mask, scoffing once, as he saw Sakura's eyes turn red—"You're in the weakest state a Chiropteran Queen can be in… Blood, right now, is essential to your survival. For a Queen to lose blood . . . let alone a chiropteran . . . the consequences could be fatal . . . and brutal if you manage to survive."

"Let go of me!" Sakura pleaded, trying to pry off Madara's hand with her free hand.

And Madara _did_ let go. However, he threw her against the wall. She slammed against it, and then there was a thunderous sound and, suddenly, there was a horrible pain in her shoulder.

The man let out a chuckle. "It's very ironic… You made these guns to protect your friends against those ex-human vampires that your mother used to control, and now . . . it's being used against you." he smirked again. "Even if the bullet only whizzed by you, it must hurt like Hell."

Clutching her shoulder, Sakura tried to stand. "You expect me to treat you like a father when you keep constantly _abusing_ me like this!?" she asked, meeting his gaze for the first time throughout this whole discussion. "Fathers are supposed to be kind, they're supposed to protect you! No matter what, even if your blood _does_ run through my veins, I'll _never_ think of you as my father!"

The Uchiha was silent for a moment, and Sakura thought he was going to shoot her again, but . . . he didn't. Instead, he threw the gun at her feet and walked away. "Very well…" was all he said before he disappeared into the darkness.

As Sakura bent down to collect the gun, tears fell down her face—but tears of _what_? Fear? Sadness and sorrow? No… They were tears of anger. She knew this because her heart had been heated to the point of boiling.

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"Damn it!" Naruto said, almost out of breath. "They're stronger than before!"

"_Gee_, nice of you to point out the obvious!" Shikamaru replied back.

"Ha! That will teach you to mess with us, un!" Deidara cackled. Unbeknownst to him, a little birdie had come to give a message to the Akatsuki duo. "Look at you fools! You have no appreciation for art. You have to feel art. And true art is an explo--"

"Hey, Deidara, time to go." Sasori said.

"_WHAT_!?!" Deidara looked back at his teammate while the Konoha nin let out a sigh of relief. "What do you mean '_time to go_'!? I just got started, un!"

"Well, the princess and the king want us back at home base." the senior puppet master (though he doesn't look his age at all) said. "You, as well as I, know that we can't disobey orders from the top."

Deidara crossed his arms, looked the other way, and pouted. "That's not fair, un!"

"Life's _never_ fair…" Sasori replied. "I thought you knew that already."

"Well . . . yeah, but . . . _anoo_…"

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms[1]!" Neji sprang into action then. He managed to hit Deidara: two consecutive strikes, then another two, four consecutive strikes, then eight consecutive strikes. But before he could land the last sixteen strikes, someone came in between them.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave[2]!" And suddenly, a big giant wave came out of nowhere and, like, wiped out Neji. (Sorry for the surfer dialect, thought it was appropriate at the time…)

"Neji!" Naruto quickly created three shadow clones, and they went to catch their fallen ally. "Daijōbu desu ka!?" they asked him.

The Hyuga coughed a bit and then wiped his mouth. "Remind me to bring a snorkel and a bathing suit the next time we deal with the Akatsuki," was his answer.

"Sasori, Deidara, did you _not_ get the message?" Kisame asked his allies. "The _princess_ wants us back at base."

"Yeah, that's what I've been trying to tell _him._" Sasori said, pointing at his partner.

"Hey! Don't say it like I _wasn't_ listening to you, un!"

Kisame rolled his eyes. "Let's just go!"

"Fine, fine!" the two artists replied.

"Oh no, you don't!" Naruto yelled. "Rasengan!" He created his little chakra ball and charged.

"No, Naruto!" But Shikamaru's warning came too late.

And Kisame's sword went _SLASH!_

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Sakura sat in her large Chinoiserie bedroom. The scent of incense filled the room. She rest her right elbow on top of her incense burner, resting her head on her hand, taking in the smoky and bitter-like fragrance. It helped her get over her blood lust, but she wasn't sitting there for only that reason today. No, she had many things to think about. And now that Madara had sent her to her room, she had all the time she really needed, just as long as she wasn't disturbed. She had changed into her night dress, a white spaghetti-strapped dress that trailed onto the floor. Anyone who knew her long enough would know that, just by seeing her attire, she would be going to bed soon. And so, if they were to be asking her anything, they would leave quickly.

She sighed. "This is all so upsetting… What ever will I do?" she asked herself.

"Ne! You shouldn't talk to yourself like that! It'll turn into a habit—a real _creepy_ one!"

"What do you _want_, Suigetsu?" she asked, her brow furrowed as her beautiful silence was broken. She didn't open her eyes nor did she turn to look at him. "Shouldn't you be bothering _Sasuke_?"

"Yeah, but he's busy training again."

"Isn't he always?" _It wouldn't hurt him to shirk his training once in a while, would it? He's already strong enough… Why must he waste more time training?_

"Well, yeah… You know how he gets when people bother him when he's out training." Suigetsu said. "It's a big pain in the neck that's not even worth it."

"Yes, I know." She inhaled through her nose another aria of incense smoke and exhaled still through her nose. "Then . . . what about Karin or Juugo? What are they doing that's so important you can't bother _them_?"

"Well, they're watching Hotaru, and she's a handful."

Sakura's emerald eyes opened then. "What are you trying to imply?" Her eyes turned red as she shot the ex-Kiri nin a cold glare.

"Nothing much…"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Then _why_ are you here?" Like her cold-hearted bastard of a teammate, she too did not like being disturbed.

"Well, I was wondering about something."

Sakura's cold glare was aimed at him again. "If it's about the birds and the bees, _forget it_!"

"I didn't mean that!"

"Oh? Well then, carry on." _I don't know _where_ I got that from. _Sakura thought about it for a moment. _Probably because it's about due time that Naruto would ask about it, being the idiot that he is._

"Sakura," Suigetsu started. "When we—meaning the rest of Team Hebi and I—when we met you, Sasuke was not as distant towards you as he was to us. You were the only one that the cold-hearted bastard was nice to, so we all just simply followed his lead. And over time, your relationship grew stronger and was soon clear to us—even to think-headed Karin. We didn't make a fuss about it because Sasuke would've Chidori-ed our asses, and he still would. However, you're a _chiropteran_—and not just _any_ chiropteran but the Chiropteran Queen."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Yes… So I am, but what does _that_ have to do with anything? Where are you going with this?"

"Well, it's really pissing me off." Suigetsu said, still smiling almost like Sai would when he would question people about emotions and relationships. "I know that you and he go way back when, but I don't know how. What are you to Sasuke, Sakura? Why does he care _so much_ about you?"

Sakura closed her eyes, again inhaling a gulp of incense smoke through her noise. This time, she exhaled with a sigh. "Sasuke and I were on the same genin team. He saved my life more than once. He wouldn't let any physical harm come to me . . . but he was the cause of a lot of my emotional hurt. And on the night that he left Konoha, I was the only one who confronted him then."

"Oh? I didn't know that." Suigetsu said. "Well then, Sakura, have you ever thought that, with you being a chiropteran yourself, you should offer him every drop of blood in your body in return? Hm?"

"_What_!?" Sakura's eyes shot opened.

"Yes, your blood should belong to Sasuke now," the swordsman continued, "Since he _did_ save your life on more than _one_ occasion. You take blood from him, yes, but he's not a vampire yet—a fact that I find strange."

"You think vampires have an easy life of leisure and luxury!? You think they are happy!?!" Sakura asked, struggling to control her temper. "Why would I turn _him_!? I wouldn't _dare_ hurt him!"

"Yes, but still . . . I know that, somewhere in your heart, you _want_ to turn him so that you can have him for yourself."

The pink-haired girl scoffed. "And how would you know what I want? You're not even a chiropteran, let alone a girl. How could you possibly know what I want?"

The swordsman shrugged. "Don't know, I was just voicing out my opinions." He turned to walk away. "See ya later, _Princess_."

Once Sakura heard the doors close, she went back to thinking; this time, she had another thing to think about, thanks to that bothersome swordsman. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought about the previous conversation.

"_I know that you and he go back way when, but I don't know how. What are you to Sasuke, Sakura? Why does he care _so much_ about you?"_

"_Sasuke and I were on the same genin team. He saved my life more than once. He wouldn't let any physical harm come to me . . . but he was the cause of a lot of my emotional hurt. And on the night that he left Konoha, I was the only one who confronted him then."_

"_Well then, Sakura, have you ever thought that, with you being a chiropteran yourself, you should offer him every drop of blood in your body in return? Hm? Yes, your blood should belong to Sasuke now since he _did_ save your life on more than one occasion. You take blood from him, yes, but he's not a vampire yet—a fact that I find strange._ _But still . . . I know that, somewhere in your heart, you _want_ to turn him so that you can have him for yourself."_

She scoffed. "That bothersome guy… Poking his nose into other people's business…" she said, a disbelieving smile made its way onto her face. "How could he possibly know..? HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT I _WANT_!?!" As she shrieked that last part, she threw the incense burner across the room, back on her feet. The furnace smashed into millions of tiny pieces, the air still filled with that disgusting smoke.

"Juugo! Karin!"

"Yes? What is it, Sakura-san?" Juugo asked as both he and Karin appeared behind the angered kunoichi.

"I have a job for the both of you."

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Oh god dammit! It's a short chapter! And I thought it was a whole lot longer… Oh well, I guess I'll have to make the next one a bit longer then. Sorry about that you guys… Oh, and I was looking back at my older chapters and I thought "Gee, that is way too many words to remember" and so, here's another list of definitions to help jog your memory a bit (and so that you and I don't have to keep going through the chapters to find out the definition of a specific word).

**Aca = dad; father (Ainu)**

**Acapo = uncle (Ainu)**

**A-mataki = my little sister (Ainu)**

**Anoo = um…**

**Arigato = thank you (everyone should know this)**

**Baka = idiot**

**Daijōbu = don't worry**

**Daijōbu desu ka = are you alright?**

**Dou shita no = what's the matter?**

**Eiwanke ya = how are you? (Ainu)**

**Ekasi = grandfather (Ainu)**

**Etto = let me see; well; errr...**

**Godaime = fifth (as in Godaime Hokage for "Fifth Hokage")**

**Hora = hey!**

**Irankaratte = hello (Ainu)**

**Itai = ow; ouch**

**Iwa = Rock (as in Hidden Stone Village [Iwagakure])**

**Kami = God**

**Ku-kor = my (Ainu)**

**Ku-kor kur = my husband (Ainu)**

**Kuiwanke wa = fine [answer to "Eiwanke ya"] (Ainu)**

**Kyaa = eek**

**Matak = little sister (Ainu)**

**Nande = why; what for; how; by what means?**

**Nani = what?**

**Nani wo shite iru no desu ka = what are you talking about?**

**Nekone = what's the matter? (Ainu)**

**Nen = who?**

**Obaachan = grandma**

**Oro = huh? (borrowed from Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X)**

**Oto = Sound (as in Sound Village [Otogakure] or Land of Sound)**

**Sapo = older sister (Ainu)**

**Shisou = master (as in teacher) [just for those who don't know what shisou means]**

**Sonna shikametsu menshi te = why are you grimacing like that?**

**Unarpe = aunt (Ainu)**

**[1] = The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms is a maneuver of the Gentle Fist fighting style. It is reserved only for the Main branch of the Hyūga clan. This technique is used to close off the flow of chakra through sixty-four chakra points of an opponent's Chakra Pathway System. This eliminates their ability to use chakra for quite some time and makes it difficult for them to move.**

**[2] = After spitting out a great volume of water from his mouth, the enemy is swallowed up by this advancing surge and crushed. The user can ride the wave, allowing them to move at high speed, and attack the enemy, now swept off their feet, without fear of counter-attacks, the amount of water created is proportional to the amount of chakra used. When used with Kisame's enormous chakra, even dry wastelands can become similar to a small ocean. Afterwards, the excess water can presumably be used for additional water release jutsu.**

**Big list, right? Well, anyway, I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. I think I'll work on this fanfic a bit more now that ****Passion**** is on the down-low and towards its boring middle but, of course, I have other fanfics, so I can't promise anything. Hopefully, I won't disappoint you.**

**Also, I hoped you guys didn't hate the **_**Vampire Knight**_** thingy I put in this chapter. And yeah, I plan to make Suigetsu the Aido in this fanfic. I thought the role fit him well, so yeah… Also, I was watching the movie **_**The Legend of the Black Scorpion/The Banquet **_**夜宴 ****again, so I have a whole bunch of ideas for this fanfic. (It's one of the reason why I'm working on it again.) The scene in which Sakura is thinking (you know, in her Chinoiserie [which means Chinese-styled] bedroom) is kind of based of a scene in the movie, so yeah…**

**See you next time and please REVIEW!!!**

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**POLLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Should I make the _alterna_ mini-story into a separate story? A prequel maybe?**


	20. Chapter 20: UNITE!

--With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? ----Based on a Whole lot of things---

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**Yay! Another new chapter's up! Hooray! I'm really sorry it took so long, but here it is! Oh, and this is named after Ayumi Hamasaki's song, okay? You'll find out why when you read the bit about Naruto in the middle of this whole chapter. Enjoy!**

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"_Juugo! Karin!"_

"_Yes? What is it, Sakura-san?" Juugo asked as both he and Karin appeared behind the angered kunoichi. _

"_I have a job for the both of you."_

Chapter Twenty

UNITE!

The pink-haired kunoichi's answer had surprised the two ex-Oto nin. Up until this point, Team Hebi weren't running any errands really. The "_kidnapping_ _Hotaru_" was really just a _small_ task, not much of a job really. They also had another task to run in a few minutes, but that one was fairly easy as well, so it really was just for fun. But now, here was Sakura—the little princess who had never _directly_ commanded anyone to do anything before—here _she_ was, telling them that they had to do this job or be killed (or, at least, that's what the tone of her voice said).

"Wh-what . . . what kind of a job?" Karin asked, the surprise still painted her voice.

"An easy one…" Sakura answered, her back still turned on the two Hebi members. "Just make sure neither Madara nor Suigetsu know about it."

The two's eyes widened, and they exchanged a glance at each other before turning to face the Chiropteran Queen. "I understand Madara, but why Suigetsu, too?" Juugo asked.

"I don't want him '_voicing out_' his opinion to the wrong people," was Sakura's blunt answer. "I don't need someone with loose lips."

Again, Karin and Juugo exchanged a glance with each other. Something told them that Suigetsu had _definitely_ pissed the cherry blossom off, but they didn't dig into it. They _knew_ that crossing _that_ line would only bring death.

"What's the job?" Karin asked.

"While you're breaking into Konoha's medical laboratory, I need you to find out as much as you can about a _Hio Shizuka_. But if Madara catches you . . . abandon the mission and tell him that I sent you. Is that understood?"

"Hai!"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

"What? I can't watch you, my ex-_teammate_, train anymore or come out for some nice fresh air?"

The Uchiha smirked. "I know that's not the real reason why you're here."

The kunoichi's eyes widened by a small bit, but she scoffed. "Looks like I underestimated your social skills…"

"You should've learned by now to _never_ underestimate me."

"And you should've learned to _never_ flatter yourself in front of me."

"Right…" And he disappeared from her sight of view, only to reappear behind her. His arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand stroked her cheek. "So . . . are you going to tell me _why_ you're here?"

"You know, I don't think I will."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Of course, you won't. You always play these little games. You know, it's getting annoying."

"And when have I _not_ been annoying?"

"Not once."

"Hey! Is that _supposed_ to be an insult?"

He fought off an urge to roll his eyes. "Never mind that, Sakura. Just tell me…" the Uchiha said, nuzzling her neck. "What's on your mind?"

The girl sighed. "I don't really like the fact that's Kabuto's working with us," she said, quickly changing the subject.

"I don't either, but your father--"

"I don't _care_! Desecrating the dead is the one thing I really _won't_ do! I really don't--"

"Hey, Pinkie!"

Once the couple heard the swordsman coming, Sasuke immediately let go of her waist, and Sakura mentally groaned. Why did Suigetsu choose _now_ of all times to come?

"What is it, Suigetsu?" she asked.

"Have you two seen either Karin or Juugo?" The swordsman came into view then; Hotaru tugging on his hair.

"No," she lied. "Why? Are you having trouble again with Hotaru?"

"No, she's an angel now that she's seen Madara. I was just wondering…"

_Yeah, right… Wondering my ass! You're just looking for _another_ thing to voice out your opinions! Like I'd make that mistake!_ "Is that all?" she asked in a sweet façade. Right now, she _really_ wanted him gone. She was still pissed off about earlier.

"No, I was going to ask if you had listened to my suggestion."

"_Suggestion_?" Sasuke asked, looking towards Sakura for an explanation.

The kunoichi's fist shook as she struggled to control her temper. "It's . . . it's nothing, Sasuke."—she turned to the ex-Kiri nin—"I already told you: I wouldn't _dare_ do that…" Though she tried, she couldn't keep the snarl from coming out which made Hotaru stop what she was doing and stare at her older sister.

"Jeez, I was just asking. No need to get so _upset_ about it…"

"Suigetsu, _leave_." the Uchiha said.

"Fine, fine, I will." And then the swordsman turned his back on the couple and walked away. "Jeez, if you wanted alone time, you could have just told me, and…" His voice trailed off as he got further and further from the two ex-teammates with Hotaru on his back.

"What was _that_ about?"

"Nothing," was Sakura's quick answer.

However, it was _too_ quick for Sasuke's liking, and so . . . in five seconds or less, Sakura was pinned against a tree.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun?" she asked. "What..? What is it?"

The Uchiha said nothing.

"Sasuke-kun?" And then she was pulled into a warm embrace.

"I wonder… Since when have you started not telling me things, Sakura?" he asked. "In these last few months, that's the only thing that has changed…"

"Sasuke-kun…" She was about to return the hug, but…

"_Hora_, _hora_, un… What are you two doing?"

The two sweatdropped and turned to the three Akatsuki members who were staring at them.

"WHAT THE HELL!?! YOU THREE COME BACK _NOW_!?!" Sakura yelled.

"Sorry! But Deidara here delayed us!"

"What!? Sasori-sempai! That's so mean, un!"

_Ugh, here we go again…_ Kisame sighed, shaking his head. _I wonder when this will all end…_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Ugh! I hate this _so much_!" Naruto yelled as he, Neji, and Shikamaru all popped out of the ground like daisies.

"Well, be grateful that our clones took the blow for us that time." Shikamaru said. "If they hadn't, we'd be dead by now."

"Yeah, yeah, I know… But I wish Sasuke hadn't kidnapped Sakura, too… She had my ramen pack with her…"

"And in the words of the traitorous Uchiha," Neji stated, scanning the area, "And I quote, '_Shut up, dobe_.'"

"Anoo . . . Neji?" Shikamaru asked, poking the Hyuga on the shoulder.

"What?"

Nara pointed the other way, Neji turned around, and we are met with the sight of Naruto on the floor, glooming away. The two geniuses sweatdropped.

"_Oops_…" was the Hyuga's reply.

"Gee, ya _think_?" Shikamaru asked.

"I didn't know he'd be like _this_!"

"Uh-huh, _sure_ you didn't!"

"Are you calling me a liar, Nara?"

"Well, I ain't calling you pretty, pretty boy!"

Neji gasped. "Take that back!"

"Make me!"

"Oy! What's going on?" another voice came into the conversation. "Why are you guys fighting amongst each other while there's even more trouble!?"

Naruto finally snapped out of his gloom-doom look and looked up at the trees. "What do you mean, Sai!? And why are Kakashi, Gai, and Kiba and Akamaru with you!?"

"You don't know?" Kiba asked, Akamaru _woof_ed. "Two of Sakura's sisters are in the hospital, and her youngest sister, Hotaru, has been kidnapped!"

"_What_!?" Naruto asked. "So soon?"

"_Soon_?" Gai asked as he and his group jumped onto the ground. "What do you mean? Did you know something about it?"

"The Akatsuki told us that they were planning on kidnapping Sakura's younger sister and use her, Hinata, and Ino as ransom." Shikamaru explained. "Man, this is troublesome. If Madara wants to punish Sakura, why did he have to make things so complicated?"

"_Punish_?" Sai asked.

"Sasori said that Sakura had renounced her family ties and that Madara's going to make her pay." Naruto answered.

"_What_!? Sasori!?" Kakashi asked. "But I thought Sakura had killed him off!"

"That's what we thought, too! But he was _here_! _Fighting_ with us! And so was Deidara! Kisame, too!"

"This is bad, Kakashi." Gai said. "If they've managed to bring back both Sasori and Deidara then they might have brought back the rest of their group, too! And it's a sure sign that Kabuto _is_ working with them!"

"Wait, _Kabuto_!?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, while we were still trying to handle the preparations for the Fourth Ninja War (that, by the way, never happened in this fanfic since they all signed some kind of peace treaty as said in chapter two) Anko and her team found Kabuto speaking with Madara. They were forming some kind of an alliance." Kakashi explained.

"But who would've thought that they were planning on bringing back the dead Akatsuki members?" Kiba asked, Akamaru barked.

"Well, regardless," Naruto said, "We need to go save the girls!"

And though he nodded his head, Kakashi still held onto a bit of his doubt. _Just what are you planning, Sakura?_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"So . . . what's the plan now?" Sasori asked, Hotaru was now playing with his hair. "The hideout will be discovered if we allow the search team to continue any further. What do you suggest we do?"

"It doesn't matter," Sakura said, sitting down on a log; the fire blazed right in front of her. Hotaru ran to her, and she placed Hotaru on her lap. "We were going to change headquarters soon enough… Fight whoever you want. Just leave them _all_ alive—I don't care if you leave them crippled; I just need them _alive_."

"Fine," Deidara said. "We got it the first time, un."

"What about the jinchuuriki?" Kisame asked.

"Leave him to me," Sasuke said.

"Already taking your brother's place, un? I guess it runs in the family."

Suddenly, a death glare was shot at the blonde artist, and Deidara hid behind the large blue shark fellow. "I guess looks and glare _also_ run in the family…"

"Aremaa…" Kisame sighed. "To think you'd know by now to _never_ mention Itachi's name in front of him…"

"I forgot, un!"

"So . . . really, do you have a plan?" Suigetsu asked the pink-haired kunoichi as she lulled the black-haired girl to sleep. "Because I want to know if I have to stay out of your way and _not_ mess anything up."

"I already _told_ you," Sakura snapped as Hotaru yawned and began to close her eyes. "Just fight whoever you want. I'm not going to stop you if it gets out of hand. Just keep them _alive_."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Suigetsu said in his pirate accent. "Hey, you know what I've noticed?"

Everyone groaned. They didn't know how much more of Suigetsu's "_voicing out_" they could take; it was getting down right annoying.

"_What_?" Sakura asked, praying that it wasn't going to be something she'll later regret.

"How come _you're_ leading us?" the swordsman asked. "I thought _Sasuke_ was the leader."

"That…" Sakura said, but then she couldn't come up with an answer. And that, too, left her wondering. "You know, that's actually a good question."—she turned to the Uchiha—"Why aren't _you_ leading them?"

"Hn," he shrugged. "Tired…"

_Yeah, right… More like _lazy_, you damn Uchiha!_

"And you're doing a good job. Why not continue?"

"I was just asking…" Sakura muttered. She looked up at the night sky. She sighed. _Are you watching, Shizune, from up there? Are you with your uncle now? Are you happy to see him again? _Her eyes drifted downwards. _I'm so confused right now… I know what I have to do, but it would be nice if you were still here… At least, it'd be nice for me to know that you'd be taking care of Tsunade-shisou when I'm discovered to be the traitor…_ She sighed again. _Why did you die, huh? Why did you die like you did? Why did you have to confront me, huh? You thought you were helping things but, in reality, you really made things so much more complicated, you know?_

And throughout all of that, the Uchiha's eyes never left his ex-teammate's face; his eyes showed a bit of concern for her.

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**Oh, yeah, baby, I'm done with this chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I'm trying to finish my newest fanfiction! I'm thinking it'll be done in, like, two months, but . . . with things going the way they are, I think I'll be sunk with everything! I'm sorry if the next update comes out really late, but it'll come out in less than a month! That's for sure, so thanks for reading! Oh, and please review! Oh, and I took out the mini-story and made it into another fanfic/prequel thing, okay? If you all want to, just go to my account and click on it to read it! Oh, and any ideas for Naruto and Sasuke's small fight would be nice!**


	21. Chapter 21: Deep Forest

-With Shizune's death, a mysterious string of incidents begin. Sakura's father is revealed to be the evil Uchiha Madara, Kakashi turns on his student, wanting to kill the kunoichi, and what's up with the pain in Naruto's neck? And what does an ancient legend have to do with all of this? -Based on a Whole lot of things-

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**OMG! I'm _so_ sorry, you guys! I had so many projects to do since it's almost the end of the school and such that I had almost no time to write _anything_ for my fanfics! I'm so sorry to have kept you guys waiting! Sorry, sorry!**

**Oh, and this chapter is named after the song **_**Fukai Mori **_**深い森 ****by Do As Infinity because, well, I decided that this song's lyrics matches Team 7's will of fire. Nothing has really changed except for the facts that Sasuke in an international criminal, Sakura's super strong, and Naruto is going nine-tails. But hey, the lyrics kind of do match them. And I'll stop talking now and let you read! Please enjoy!**

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Chapter Twenty-One

Deep Forest

"Okay, you all know the plan, right?" Gai asked; he had been made leader of the group because of Kakashi's prejudice towards his female student. He had no objections to this, and so Gai had just won the spot. "You all set?"

All of the shinobi nodded their heads; they were just outside of the Akatsuki hideout, a step closer to saving their friends.

"Alright… Move out!"

And just like that, their rescue plan began.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

_Knock! Knock!_

"Come in…"

The door creaked open, and the pink-haired kunoichi walked in. "You wanted to see me . . . _Daddy_?" She sneered at the word.

"I just wanted to know . . ."—Madara circled her, eyeing her carefully—". . . where your loyalty lies…"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to get at? You're my _father_. Why _wouldn't_ my loyalty lie with you?"

"I don't know. Perhaps, you can enlighten me."

Sakura tensed.

"Those . . . _friends_ of yours . . . the ones you've turned… What are they to you?"

She let out her held breath. "_Nothing_," she said emotionlessly. "I only spared them . . . on a whim."

"A _whim_?"—Madara's eyebrow rose. Exactly where had he heard _that_ before?—"Explain yourself: Just . . . what exactly _is_ your plan then?"

"They're just a means to an end. Plus," Sakura said; a smirk creeping its way onto her face. "How will the Konoha Elders take a liking to me if they're found _dead_? They are, after all, from prominent clans."

The Uchiha nodded his head. "True! So very true!" he laughed. "You really are making Daddy proud, Sakura."

Unseen by the Uchiha, the cherry blossom's hands rolled into tight fists and shook. "If that's all-"

"Actually, there's more."

Her head shot to the origin of that oh-so familiar voice. "Kabuto…" she snarled. "Or should I say _Orochimaru_? It's been a while…"

"I'd prefer my given name, rather than my late master's." the (really disgusting) medic hissed. "And yes… It's been a while, Sakura-_san_…"

The kunoichi scoffed and shrugged. "We're all friends here… There's really no need for honorifics…" But inside, her heart really was up at the point of boiling. If she could, she would've killed Kabuto right there and then. Why did she need to put up with _him_? Of all people?

"Heheh… Well put, _girl_… But it's all hypocritical nonsense especially coming from _you_…"

"_Excuse me_?" She was appalled, yes, but she acted innocently and pretended she had no idea what he meant by that.

"I know of your feelings for Sasuke…"—at the avenger's name, Kabuto sneered—"And I know very well you hate me for the deal I've made with your father. You don't have to be nice… No matter what you do, I _will_ completely my revenge against your lover."

In the next second, a ball of lavender whizzed past the medic, barely missing his head. And once it made contact with the wall, it exploded into the shrieks of the underworld.

"Don't you _dare_ lay a finger on him!" the kunoichi snarled. "I swear, if you do..!"

But Kabuto just laughed. "Do you really _think_ I would care about what _you'd_ do? Sakura, nothing's going to stop me from my quest, not even that Dark Release[1] jutsu of yours—that oh-so terrifying Deadly Scream[2]. I _will_ kill Sasuke and, once I'm done with him, I'll take Naruto's life as well."

Sakura's eyes widened and, in the next moment, Madara stood in front of Kabuto; in his hands, he held one of Sakura's Lights of Surprise[3]. Sakura's glare turned into a dismayed gaze now directed at the Uchiha—one that clearly screamed out, "Why did you stop me from killing him?"

"Temper, temper, sweetie." Madara _tsk_ed as he played around with his daughter's jutsu until it turned into a small marble. "We wouldn't want to lose a precious ally especially during troubled times like these, now would we?" And with his thumb and index finger, he crushed the little marble; it burst into tiny cherry blossom petals. "But I must say"—as the swaying petals flew around his hand, he felt numb in that hand—"You are getting better at manipulating your opponent's chakra. If this had been in its original size and if it had actually hit its target, Kabuto would be dead in less than a second… Wouldn't he?"

Sakura didn't answer.

Madara chuckled. "You know, sometimes, I really wonder if you retained more traits from your mother or from your mentor."—he looked her over from head to toe—"Maybe more learned traits from Tsunade but, as for everything else,"—his eyes drifted back up her body—"Hm… Perhaps you get it from your mother."

"Hn…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Naruto, slow down!" Shikamaru commanded the knucklehead. "Even if you get there first, you still have to wait for Neji and me!"

"Well, pick up the pace! Kakashi-sensei and them may already be at their place, and we could be what slows _them_ down!" Naruto argued. "Plus, I'm not going to let the Akatsuki torture Sakura! Or any of the other girls, for that matter!"

"Ugh, Naruto, I understand where you're coming from, but-"

"No buts! We got some damsels in distress to save, so we can't waste any more time on this! Charge!" And in a weird Lee-and-Gai-sensei-way, Naruto ran so far ahead of the other two that he left a trail of dust in his path.

"The idiot! He'd just tire himself like that!" Shikamaru complained. "Ugh, what a drag…"

"Hey, Shikamaru, I thought _you_ were supposed to be the leader of this group." Neji said.

"Yes, but you know Naruto… He always wants to take charge whenever his friends are in trouble."

"Yeah, _literally_…"

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Kakashi, how are things on your side?"

"Good for now… Kiba, what about you?"

"Fine here!" Kiba answered; Akamaru's bark seconded that. "But do we _have_ to check all sides every five minutes?"

"Yes, this _is_ the Akatsuki, after all." Gai explained. "If we are not on our toes then I'm afraid we will be taken by surprise. Never underestimate the enemy."

"Okay… But I still say it's a waste of time…" Kiba grumbled.

"Kid, you should really listen to the ugly man…" echoed throughout the forest, and suddenly Samehada[4] was brought down on the group.

The group scattered, but Samehada was swung again, causing the group to scatter further apart from each other.

"Water Prison Jutsu[5]!"

"AKAMARU!" But it was too late. The dog was already trapped in the watery jail.

"Heheh…" Kisame chuckled. "Now I wonder… Which one of you will be next? Or should I do onto the dog what I'd do to you?"

"BASTARD!" There was a quick flash of dark colors.

"No, Kiba!" But Gai's warning also came too late.

Iron spikes shot out of the ground, encasing Kiba in an iron cage right before he was able to punch the living daylights out of Kisame.

"Heheh… I thought you Konoha nin were supposed to be the best," another Akatsuki member said, appearing besides the shark-man. "I guess this proves that one really shouldn't listen to rumors."

Kisame laughed. "Well said, Sasori! Now there are only two left. This should be easier than I thought. The only question is"—he eyed the two jonin with deadly intent in his eyes—"Who will be the first to go down?"

Kakashi's hand rolled into a fist. _Damn it! We fell into their trap!_

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Hey, Pinkie! You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be… Just remember to make sure she's comfortable." the kunoichi grumbled, handing Hotaru to the swordsman. "Hey, how exactly am I supposed to act like a helpless—and not to mention, kidnapped—victim?"

"Don't know," Suigetsu shrugged; Hotaru did the same. "You're the actress here, not me."

Sakura sighed. "Who's bright idea was this again?"

"Anoo . . . maybe . . . _YOURS_?" Suigetsu yelled.

"Yours, yours, yours!" Hotaru started singing.

"Oh, right…"

"Sakura, stop fidgeting and just stick with your original plan." Sasuke said, a bit fed up with the girl's antics. "You'll do fine…"

"Hai, hai…" Sakura replied. "Just remember: Naruto is to remain _alive_. Bruised and injured? Sure, why not? But _not_ dead."

"Yeah… I'll try to remember that when he tries to kill me with that Rasengan of his…"

"What happened to that aloof personality of yours?"

"Hn…"

"There it is!"

"Sakura, can't you be _serious_ for once?"

". . ."

". . ."

"Are you trying to imply that I _can't_ be serious?"

Then a chorus of _Ooh_s came out of Hotaru's mouth.

The Uchiha groaned. "Never mind… Let's just go."

Sakura _hmp_ed. "Fine…"

The Uchiha put his arm around her waist and, in the next second, they were gone with the wind.

"You know, those two will end up together once this is all over." Suigetsu said to the little girl in his arms. "And _you'll_ get a few green-eyed and black-haired nephews and pink-haired and black-eyed nieces."

"_Ne-re-phews_? _Ni-ii-ces_?" Hotaru asked. She really had no idea what that meant, and so she just tilted her head in confusion. "_Eh_?"

Suigetsu just chuckled. Oh, how he wished he could be that innocent again rather than be a part of something so big!

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Okay, we're in place." Shikamaru said, panting a bit from his sprint. "Now . . . we just have to wait for Kakashi's signal."

"Aw, man! Not this waiting crap again!"

"Stop whining, Naruto. Being a ninja also means knowing when to take things slow. If you were to charge into that place then you'd only make things worse." Neji explained.

"I know that, but Sakura, Ino, and Hinata are out _there_ right now—and in the Akatsuki's grasp! A small five-year-old, too! I don't know what the Akatsuki is doing to them, but I know for one thing that it _isn't_ pleasant! I don't want them to have to suffer through it any longer! I won't allow such evil to cause them any more pain! I won't have it! They're my friends, and I'll do everything in my power to protect them cuz that's my ninja way! And I'm _not_ going back on my word!"

"Aw… Such a touching speech, Naruto-kun… Too bad it's all in vain…" And suddenly, this giant white snake pounced the group.

Luckily, Neji was able to spot it before it was too late. "Get out of the way!" And he carried his two teammates to safety.

"Heheh… You guys are really making this too _easy_…"

"Kabuto!"

The medic chuckled again. "In the flesh…"

"I see Orochimaru hasn't completely taken over you _yet_," Neji stated.

Kabuto broke out into hysterical laughter. "_Taken over_?" he asked. "Didn't we go over this already? It is _I_ who has taken him over!"

"Oh, yeah, I'll take you on then!" Naruto challenged. "Then we'll see who-"

"Naruto, no!" Shikamaru warned. "Right now, you're the only one who can go up against Sasuke. If we were to journey deeper into the Akatsuki's hideout, it's almost certain that we'll meet up with him. Naruto, you have to be the one to go up against him."

"But . . . but what about you and Neji?"

"Don't worry," the Hyuga said. "We'll-"

"No, Neji. You're going with Naruto." Shikamaru said. "And before you say _anything_ against this, think about it: without someone to watch over him, Naruto would just be charging blindly into enemy territory. He _needs_ someone to guide him. Neji, I consider you my equal and sometimes even more than that, and so I'm going to trust him with you. Now get going!"—the genius faced his opponent and sighed—"It's times like this when I wish Sakura were here. Then, I wouldn't be facing this _creep_ alone."—his eyes shifted back to his teammates—"_Well_?" he asked. "What are you still doing here? Get out of here! _Scram_! You'll only get in my way!"

Neji nodded and jumped to higher ground.

"You _better_ make it out of this _alive_, Shikamaru." Naruto said.

"Will do, Naruto, will do…"

"Naruto!" the Hyuga called, and soon the two were off with one last glance at their team leader.

"Well now,"—the lazy-ass stretched himself out—"Let's get this drag done and over with, _hm_?"

"Heheh… I couldn't have worded it any better myself," Kabuto said, and again the snake bared its fangs.

✿｡.:**:.｡✿

"Are you sure Shikamaru will be fine?"

"I honestly don't know," Neji said. "All we can do is believe in him. Naruto, don't get distracted by his fight. Concentrate on yours."

The ramen-loving ninja nodded his head. "Don't worry, I won't—especially not after what that bastard did to Sakura-chan." _Don't worry, Sakura. I'm-a coming for ya._

And during this, Neji just watched the knucklehead. He sighed. _Maybe . . . I got this wrong. Maybe I _did _accuse__ Sakura too soon. I should've known better than to have doubt her. Now, because of that, I've gotten her and Hinata kidnapped. I swear, I'll make it up to her… Hinata, too…_

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[1] = The Dark Release jutsu are techniques that can be used to absorb, manipulate, and release chakra taken from an opponent. It seems that techniques of this element are channeled through a mark on the user's left hand. This mark resembles two squares, one overlapping the other vertically. Chakra is absorbed through the upper square, while it is released and manipulated through the lower. The elements combined to create this nature are unknown. To date, this form of nature manipulation has only been used by Hiruko, who obtained it using his Chimera Technique to steal Kekkei Genkai in

_**Naruto Shippūden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire**_** from an unknown shinobi.**

**[2] = Called **_**Dead Scream**_** in the original Japanese, it's a power used by Sailor Pluto from **_**Sailor Moon**_**. Unlike any other attack in the series, its name is whispered rather than shouted when she uses it.**

**[3] = For those that don't remember, the **_**Lights of Surprise **_**are jutsu that I came up with for Sakura. There are going to be a whole lot of these Lights of Surprise coming up in later chapters.**

**[4] = Samehada is Kisame's sword. Later, it becomes Killer Bee's.**

**[5] = This jutsu is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. Clones can be used in place of the actual person, provided that the clone is the one that performed the technique. This jutsu can't be performed without a sufficiently large body of water to supply the water for it. Neji Hyuga has been able to use his ability to release chakra from all of his pressure points simultaneously to disrupt the flow of chakra inside the prison and break free.**

**Wow! This one's a longer chapter! I didn't expect it to be so long… I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I hope this makes up for it, but I had a whole lot of projects to do, and so I didn't get any time to work on my fanfics. I'm sorry you all! I promise the next one will be out sooner than later!**


	22. End Note: Last Links

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

**Hi, Peoples...**

**Okay, I know this is like really bad on my part, but I really don't have any inspiration or ideas for this story anymore. I had a whole lot planned out for this fanfic, but it just didn't turn out that way. I'm sorry for the disappointment, you guys. I'm not going to be writing a sequel to this story, but I might try to rewrite it from a certain point in the story. I'll still keep this version up for those of you who actually like it. And if you guys want (although I don't think many of you do), you can make your own sequels if you want. Just tell me, kay? I really wouldn't care how the story plot goes.**

**To sum it up, this story is pretty much done until further notice. Sorry, but thank you for the support up until now. Please do not hate me, but a lot has come up. I'll tell you guys when the new version of the story comes up, but still I'm sorry I'm ending this story and at a cliff-hanger.**

**Truly sorry,**

**Mistressinwaiting**

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°


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